After more than a decade leading the province, Peter O’Mahony has decided to resign as squad captain, as confirmed by Munster Rugby.
At the age of 21, O’Mahony captained Munster for the first time in a competitive match on September 3, 2011. He had only made 12 appearances for the province, and he had captained the team for the first five games of that campaign.
With Doug Howlett’s departure prior to the 2013–14 season, he assumed the captaincy of Munster permanently.
O’Mahony served as squad captain for ten seasons in 2022–2023; following an exciting victory over the Stormers, he and Keith Earls lifted the URC title in Cape Town.
He has captained Ireland and the British & Irish Lions in addition to Munster.
A new squad captain will be chosen eventually by the coaching staff and head coach Graham Rowntree.
“Being the captain of Munster has been a dream come true for me,” stated Peter O’Mahony.
“I watched and looked up to the Munster team growing up, especially the players who were captains.
“People like Paul and ROG, who I had the honor of playing with early in my career, and Mick Galwey and Jim Williams after that.
“I recall talking to Paul to get his approval on the day I was asked to be captain, as if it were yesterday.
“I’ve never taken anything for granted and it’s been an absolute privilege since that day.
But after giving it a lot of thought, I believe the time has come to step back from the position so I can share my experiences and offer the same advice I was given when I took it on.
“What an incredible privilege it has been and will always be.”
In honor of O’Mahony’s more than ten years in the role, Rowntree remarked, “Pete is an excellent leader who has led this club to great success.
His leadership of Munster for such a long period of time at such a young age is a testament to both his skill as a player and his character off the field.
He is extremely respected and will continue to be a major leader in the group. It is really helpful to have someone with Pete’s experience available to assist us with the succession planning process.
“The squad has a strong leadership group, and we will soon announce the selection of a new squad captain.”
