Finlay Bealham crept up behind Peter O’Mahony and asked for a hug before being shooed away with a playfully exasperated “I’m not talking to ya”. Bundee Aki was next in what became a trope, team-mates shouted abuse as O’Mahony shimmied over to the media catwalk, a phalanx of tape recorders and cameras in the bowels of Stadio Olimpico.
Even Johnny Sexton couldn’t resist a dig. At that point in the afternoon, O’Mahony was used to the adulation. The term would make him squirm. His final curtain call in Test rugby came with just under half an hour to go in Ireland’s victory over Italy. Waiting patiently on the sideline, a close-up of his face was beamed on to the giant stadium screens.
Irish supporters got to their feet to mark the occasion, the roar reverberated around Italian rugby’s colosseum, but the 35-year-old’s game face scowl was already in place as he joined the fray. He heard it, though. O’Mahony explained: “Yeah, our travelling support is off-the-wall stuff. It was a lovely touch.
“Sometimes you push that kind of noise out but I kind of grew a bit taller when I heard it, to be honest. It meant a lot. As I said, I’ve given a lot to the jersey, and it was a lovely response to get.”
His final stats sheet read: 28 minutes, three tackles, one pass, one lineout win, three carries for 18m, 114 caps, five tries.
But this wasn’t a day for numbers. O’Mahony, in tandem with fellow international retirees, Conor Murray on the pitch, and Cian Healy in the stand, preoccupied themselves with trying to assist an Irish win in whatever capacity was open to them. On the pitch, it was an ornery struggle, fraught, especially the end game, unnecessarily so from an Irish perspective, exacerbated by some poor officiating.
The result acted as a salve of sorts, the final game of a tournament that had been wrested from the control of the defending champions, and for O’Mahony a last Ireland cap; no point in packing any frustrations in the luggage from Rome.
“We probably didn’t play the way we wanted to but credit to the group, we found a way.”
In days past those words would have prompted a longer discussion about match minutiae but no one had an appetite. Instead, conversation was redirected to more personal matters, O’Mahony happy to contextualise his feelings on a bittersweet landmark in his rugby history.
“Look, obviously, it’s a great day and it’s a tough day for me because I’m leaving behind something I’ve done for a long, long time, and a group of people that I’ve a huge amount of respect for and have given a huge amount to me and I hope that they think I’ve given a huge amount back.
“But I’m thrilled with the way we finished there, with the crowd, the travelling support that we had and to have my family there, my wife, my brother, my mum and dad, it was a special occasion.”
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It was then on to the broader brushstrokes of Ireland’s progress. O’Mahony referenced 2013 as a starting point. “I was talking to a few lads coming here, we lost [n Rome], and we came fifth in the championship. Now the expectation when we take the pitch is that we win.
“The expectation at the start of the Six Nations is we win the Six Nations. That’s down to the hard work of players, that’s not down to anyone else. We’ve gone from hoping to expecting. Over the space of a decade or so, we’ve changed the mindset of players and supporters to expecting nothing but wins from Ireland.
“It [Irish rugby] is in good hands, incredibly good hands. I’ve spoken about the players and management, they’re some of the best people, not just good technicians but as people that I’ve come across, people that care about Irish rugby and the state of Irish rugby and without a doubt the best coaching group that I’ve come across.”
His immediate pathway is to give back to a family that has made sacrifices so he didn’t have to when it came to being fully committed to his career. He may stop to consider the coaching signpost down the road.
For now, it’s about coming to terms with an emotional void. When players vacate the premises it’s never the same.
“I’ve got to come to terms with [not] coming into camp. It’s an unbelievably enjoyable place to play; good people, you have good fun,” said O’Mahony.
“At the same time, the main thing is the main thing and that is performing but it is the people that make the jersey special, I’ve said that all year. I’ll miss that hugely, miss the friendships.
“Not that that ends today but you know it’s different being in that dressingroom and having that experience. It’s a different environment, a very honest one, a very enjoyable place to me, and I’m going to miss it massively.
“Cian [Healy] spoke inside about leaving a mark on the younger people. If I’ve made a little bit of difference to the people, shown them a few things not to do, I’ll be a happy man.”
No fear on that account, a sentiment that describes O’Mahony the player, too. He gave so much more than he took, and for that alone, he’ll be remembered and celebrated.
