More Six Nations glory means ‘absolutely everything’ to Ireland – Peter O’Mahony

By Sports Desk March 15, 2024

Peter O’Mahony insists further Guinness Six Nations glory means “absolutely everything” to Ireland and stressed his countrymen would have metaphorically sacrificed limbs for such success in the recent past.

Retaining the championship crown has been touted as an anti-climax for Andy Farrell’s side after the holy grail of historic back-to-back Grand Slams was extinguished by last week’s agonising 23-22 loss to England.

Ireland are on the verge of a fifth title in 11 years going into Saturday evening’s Dublin showdown with Scotland, having endured a drought of more than two decades between 1985 and 2009.

Captain O’Mahony, who contributed to each of those successes, remembers the barren era and dismissed the suggestion current expectations have devalued the achievement of winning the tournament without a 100 per cent record.

“No, I don’t think so because it’s so rare,” said the 34-year-old.

“I know we’ve had a few in our most recent history but going back over a long period, we’re way down the list of championships won.

“You’re talking about back-to-back Grand Slams and no one has done it because it’s so hard, that’s why.

“You’ve got to win 10 Six Nations games in a row, win five away from home. It’s unbelievably difficult to win a game away from home in this championship, if you look at the stats across the board.

“So it’s everything to us tomorrow. Absolutely everything to us, another championship.

“It’s probably a manner of the Irish psyche, ‘Jesus, another championship’, you know what I mean? When all of a sudden a few years ago you’d have taken your arm and your leg off for one.

“We’re still in the same boat, it matters a massive amount to us. It’s what we’re here for, that’s the be all and end all of it, we’re here to win a championship for our country and it couldn’t mean any more to us.”

Ireland will be crowned champions by avoiding defeat to Gregor Townsend’s side or claiming two losing bonus points, while a single bonus point is also likely to be sufficient.

However, a pointless defeat would leave Farrell’s men sweating on the outcome of England’s clash with France in Lyon.

Ireland are seeking a 10th-successive win over their rivals, while Scotland have a slim chance of snatching the title but are realistically aiming for a first Triple Crown since 1990.

Munster flanker O’Mahony anticipates another feisty affair following last year’s fiery Rugby World Cup pool-stage clash in Paris, which the Irish won 36-14 to eliminate the Scots.

“It’s a competitive game and both teams always get stuck in and that’s what you want, isn’t it? You want both teams flat out,” he said.

“We’re not playing tennis or golf, you know what I mean? It’s a physical game and you’ve got to get stuck in and you’ve got to be on the edge – and that’s rugby.

“It will be very special if we win it.”

Related items

  • Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss

    Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.

    Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.

    England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.

    The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.

    "Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.

    "I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.

    "It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.

    "We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."

    Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.

    Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.

    "International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.

    "Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.

    "These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."

  • England 'banging on the door' of rugby's elite, says proud Borthwick England 'banging on the door' of rugby's elite, says proud Borthwick

    Steve Borthwick reckons England are "banging on the door" of the elite nations after their close loss to New Zealand.

    England went down 24-22 to the All Blacks in Saturday's Test match at Twickenham.

    Mark Tele'a scored the decisive try for New Zealand, who beat England twice in July, in the 76th minute.

    England missed the chance to win it late on when George Ford missed a drop-goal attempt, after he had struck the post with a penalty.

    But coach Borthwick, who was immensely proud of his team, feels England showed they are capable of mixing it with the best teams in the world, despite losing four of their last five Tests.

    "It is a mixture of immense pride at the performance against a very tough New Zealand team and one of incredible disappointment," Borthwick told BBC Radio 5 Live.

    "They are the emotions we balance and will work through over the next few days.

    "When we started two years ago we wanted to get England right to the top of world rugby again. You can see the team banging on the door."

    With the pre-match build-up having been dominated by Joe Marler's jibe at New Zealand's pre-match haka routine, tries from Tele'a and Will Jordan put New Zealand in control.

    Marcus Smith's penalties kept England in contention, though, and he set up the hosts' only try when he intercepted a loose pass and teed up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

    Yet England ultimately failed to hold on to an eight-point advantage, with Ford having to be consoled by his team-mates after the match.

    Next up for England are Australia, with fixtures against South Africa and Japan also in store.

    "We really have to find a way of winning these close ones," said captain Jamie George. "We put ourselves in a really good position after 60 minutes.

    "Eight points is a lot in Test match rugby but we probably went chasing the game a bit and gave away too many penalties. We have to be smarter in that respect."

    England walked up to the halfway line to face the haka, something George explained was planned prior to Marler's comments.

    "That was always our plan before Joe's comments but we did it in a respectful way," said George. "I saw a smile on Scott Barrett’s face, I was smiling, and it was done in good spirits."

  • England aiming to be one of 'world's best' teams, says Earl England aiming to be one of 'world's best' teams, says Earl

    England have aspirations of greatness, asserted Ben Earl as he prepares to face New Zealand in a friendly at Twickenham.

    The 26-year-old was optimistic about the progress England had made under Steve Borthwick despite registering two losses at the hands of the All Blacks in July.

    England will be seeking revenge after losing the second match of the test in a devastatingly close 16-15 defeat. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso had scored a try to put England ahead after scores had been tied 10-10 at half-time, but two penalty kicks from Damian McKenzie ended their hopes.

    Earl, however, believes the heartbreak has given his country an opportunity to develop.

    “I think it’s an experience all the big teams go through, you have to go through some heartache to get over the line,” he told TNT Sports.

    “It just feels like it’s the evolution of all the top teams, and we are a team that wants to be known as a great team, some of the world’s best. 

    “So we know the heartache is good for a while, but it’s time to go and do it at the right time. We got a glimpse of it against Ireland last year, and we feel we are due one, and we have learnt some really hard lessons over the summer, so we feel we are in a better place for it.

    “We have always said you don’t win easily against us and that’s something we have developed over the last 18 months with Steve’s mindset and the boys getting hold of it, and now I feel it’s time to get over the line in one of these big games.”

    New Zealand have won their last three matches, having defeated Japan and secured a double over Australia. They struggled against reigning world champions South Africa, however, as they failed to exact revenge on the Springboks in late summer tests falling to defeat twice.

    Undoubtedly, the All Blacks still represent some of the best talent in the world, with Earl expected to line up opposite New Zealand’s superstar Wallace Sititi.

    “There’s stardust littered all over the pitch isn’t there? There’s some pretty cool match-ups; it just feels like a game that isn’t going to disappoint,” he said.

    England won’t be overawed, though. Instead, they aim to make their west London home a fortress for visiting sides to travel to.

    “[Twickenham is] a place where we want to be really, really hard to beat. And we’ve always said in the camp, if you want to beat us at Twickenham you are going to have to be over and above the norm,” Earl said. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.