YOU ALWAYS KNEW Peter O’Mahony would find all of this a little uncomfortable.
He’s well aware that what he’s about to achieve tomorrow night is special. He knows he’s joining an elite club. But he’s never been someone who enjoys the limelight.
Indeed, it’s after the dictaphones go off that he’s at ease. His family have also arrived at Ireland’s team hotel about an hour north of Paris and he’s clearly delighted to see them again. Just before, in front of a room full of journalists, he’s not as comfortable.
“Oh, I would love to be inside there having a cup of tea with the lads,” says O’Mahony with a smile when it’s suggested that he’s not a fan of the fuss being made.
“This would be the last place I would sit in front of, to be honest with you.”
Needs must. When you’re about to win your 100th cap for Ireland, as O’Mahony will do against Scotland tomorrow night in Paris, it makes you the centre of attention. His team-mates and coaches have spent much of this week paying tribute to him.
As you’d expect, O’Mahony says that the most important thing tomorrow is Ireland winning. He’s all about the team but it will still be a proud occasion for him and his family as he becomes Ireland’s 10th centurion.
“It’s almost a little bit embarrassing with the names that are ahead of me, to be honest, people I grew up following and supporting, hugely inspirational characters,” says the Cork man.
“To be the 10th, it’s going to take some time to settle in. It’s nothing I ever expected or dreamed of. We all talk about having dreams but that one was way off the radar.”
There are too many important influences for him to mention at this stage, but he flags his father, John, as the key figure in getting him started in rugby with their beloved Cork Consitution. John and the rest of the family will be there at Stade de France tomorrow.
It’s also poignant that O’Mahony’s 100th cap will come in Paris, the city where another of his biggest mentors, Anthony Foley, passed away before a Munster game in 2016.
“Myself and Johnny [Sexton] had a conversation about it, I think it was on the way to the South African game actually, about sometimes it is weird to be in Paris and to think about Axel and what happened,” says O’Mahony.
“It certainly is an incredibly sad memory, particularly for that Munster team who were in Paris that week.
“I’m not going to go into it now but Johnny made a couple of lovely gestures to the family afterwards but Axel is always somebody who is certainly in my head on a very regular basis and when you come to Paris he certainly comes to mind.
“I’ve the fondest memories that we had together and the amount of inspiration he gave, not just to me, but to lots of young kids in Munster and Ireland. As I said, very fond memories.”
O’Mahony has come a long way and he is arguably playing the best rugby of his entire Ireland career now at the age of 34, having been written off in some quarters only a few seasons ago.
“I think it’s the players, predominantly, the players and coaches,” says O’Mahony of how this Ireland set-up is getting the best from him.
“The standard of training that we’re at during the week is of a level that you can’t but learn and get better. Our coaches are opening our eyes up to our potential at times, which is sometimes… not that you’d put a ceiling on yourself but it’s stuff that you mightn’t have had on your radar that’s possible.
“I think this group of players particularly never ceases to amaze me, the quality of rugby that they can play, and when you’re around it as much as I’ve been lucky enough to be around it, without doing much we’re picking up stuff and we’re about doing a lot so it’s easy to get some good tips.”
O’Mahony has also learned how best to manage himself physically as the years have ticked on. He isn’t too happy with his new nickname in the Ireland squad – the ‘Haggard Badger’ – but he is content to be minding his body these days.
O’Mahony has realised that sometimes less is more. He knows how to “keep the juice in the legs” for the big matches.
“I’ve spoken to a few guys who are either finished or at the elder stages of their careers and you can’t do as much as the young guys do these days,” he says.
“Some of the extras you’d see the guys doing afterwards and pre-training, I just can’t physically do them.
“So I just need to use the sessions as diligently as I can to get as much fitness, ball-play, whatever I need to do I need to get that in-session, really, because I’m obviously pushing on a bit so it’s changing those little few dynamics, y’know, stuff in the gym that I need to change that a few years ago I would have been flying.
“You just need to manage the body a bit more and the main thing for me is the Saturday. It’s about getting yourself prepared and ready for Test matches on the weekend.
“So there are certainly adjustments that have to be made and I’ve had some good guys who have looked after me through the years, S&C-wise, and obviously coaches.”
O’Mahony has won two Grand Slams, captained the Lions, helped Ireland to a series success in New Zealand, led Munster to URC success, and much more.
But there’s obviously one big prize on offer in France that has him as motivated as ever.
There’s no doubt the World Cup trophy is at the back of the mind for him and all the other Ireland players.
“I’m hoping there are going to be bigger moments in my career than this one, and hopefully in the near future,” says O’Mahony.
“My firm focus will be on Saturday and my performance in the game.”
Business as usual.