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Graham Rowntree insists no fallout with Peter O'Mahony – report
By Liam Heagney
Munster boss Graham Rowntree has insisted he hasn’t fallen out with Peter O’Mahony, the veteran back-rower who has relinquished the captaincy of the Irish province after 11 seasons. It was last November when it was confirmed that O’Mahony, who first captained Munster in a competitive game on September 3, 2011, at the age of 21 in just his 12th appearance for the province, would give up skippering the team at the end of the 2023/24 season.
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Despite going on to lead Ireland to the Guinness Six Nations title in March, it wasn’t until April 11 when Munster confirmed they had agreed a one-year deal for O’Mahony, who was coming off an IRFU contract, to stay on at the club. Ahead of the new season, which kicks off this Saturday with a home URC fixture versus Connacht, Rowntree has now addressed the speculation that he and the recently turned 35-year-old O’Mahony had a falling out.
Speaking with Irish media at a briefing where Tadhg Beirne was confirmed as the new Munster captain, Rowntree said about the past season: “I’m more experienced, yeah. I have been through some things that I hadn’t, with the injury crisis, players retiring, players coming off national contracts, their negotiations. What was the word used, innuendos? Innuendos around Peter O’Mahony? It’s not easy.
“And by the way, on that, we didn’t fall out. I didn’t raise my voice once. I raise my voice a lot in various contexts but I have never raised my voice in any contract negotiations. It just took a long time. It’s complicated, that scenario was complicated, but we got to a greater agreement.”
As for his decision to finally back Beirne to take on the captaincy on a permanent basis, Rowntree added: “I took my time. He did a great job last year, he managed us through most of the season as captain. He is world-class, world-class. If he’s fit, I will be picking him. That is a big one for a captain, he has got to be up there with one of your best players.
“He has got an aura about him, the way plays the game. He is good for the group, he is a giver as well. He likes pulling along the group standard-wise. He is easy-going, a laid-back dude as well, he does it his own way. As in most clubs and most pro sports, most businesses, you have got a strong leadership group. It won’t be Tadhg doing all the talking.”
So that is ending in tears…nailed on!