PETER O’MAHONY WASN’T exactly sure what his head coach meant in this morning’s press conference, but the message from Warren Gatland to the Munster flanker will certainly be clear before Saturday’s game against the Crusaders: go out and do what you do best.
After coming off the bench in the defeat to the Auckland Blues on Wednesday, O’Mahony will get his chance from the off in Christchurch after being named in a powerful looking back row unit for the third game of the tour.
O’Mahony will start alongside Irish team-mate Sean O’Brien and Taulupe Faletau against the Super Rugby leaders at the AMI Stadium, and Gatland explained exactly why he has the Munster captain in his team.
“The mix of the back row looks quite exciting at the moment,” Gatland said at this morning’s press conference.
“We talked about the balance and the lineout option and we know how good Peter O’Mahony is at lineout time. I hope he brings a bit of that Munster mongrel on Saturday night.”
Not long after, O’Mahony presented himself for media duty and the first question was inevitably about the ‘Munster mongrel.’
“You’re going to have to put that in a better context now, what exactly did he say?” he asked.
In short, Gatland wants O’Mahony to bring his physicality, combative style of play and unflinching work-rate to the party on Saturday.
“To be successful over here we’re going to have to get stuck in and we’re going to have to be physical,” the 27-year-old said.
“I’m hoping that’s what he meant because as a back row, I suppose, as a pack, it’s a thing you don’t need talent for.
“You can put your head down and just work hard and I think that’s going to be a very important part if we’re going to be successful, a huge part.”
O’Mahony got a decent 26-minute stint off the bench in Auckland yesterday but was unable to have a major influence on the game but certainly his lineout prowess and ability to disrupt the opposition’s set-piece will have attracted Gatland.
On Saturday, he’ll get the opportunity to show what he’s really capable of.
“This is the pinnacle of rugby and across the park it’s going to take that a level above international rugby,” he said. “The players that have been picked are world-class and it’s a question of if we can go the extra 5% to go beyond that level.
“It’s massively difficult and it’s a huge challenge but sitting here it brings a lot of excitement out as well, it’s exactly what you want to do at international level. We’re the privileged group here doing it.”
O’Mahony added that pulling on the Lions jersey to start on Saturday night will be a dream come true: ”It’s a huge honour and an incredible feeling and that comes with a responsibility and a pressure but it’s an incredible feeling.
“All you want to do is play well for the group of guys around you and everything that the Lions stands for and that’s something I’m really looking forward to at the weekend.
“Yesterday was incredibly special getting my first cap and getting a starting opportunity now is a dream come true and I’m just hoping I’m up to scratch and be able to get stuck in.”
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