The Munster boss named O’Mahony’s replacement as captain yesterday.
Graham Rowntree has played down any suggestion that he and former Munster captain Peter O’Mahony had a falling out after the Corkman stepped down as skipper last November.
During a press conference yesterday – in which the former England international confirmed the decision to make Tadhg Beirne the new Munster captain – Rowntree also took the opportunity to set the record straight regarding his relationship with O’Mahony.
“What was the word used? Innuendos. Innuendos around Peter O’Mahony. It’s not easy,” the 53-year-old head coach said.
“By the way, on that [referring to his relationship with O’Mahony], we didn’t fall out.
“I didn’t raise my voice once. I raise my voice a lot in various contexts, but I’ve never raised my voice in any contract negotiations,” he added.
“It just took a long time. It’s complicated, that scenario was complicated, but we got to a greater agreement.”
Speculation surrounding an apparent rift took flight when O’Mahony shocked fans by stepping down from the Munster captaincy in the middle of last season.
That decision came during tense contract negotiations between the flanker and the province.
Despite signing a one-year contract extension in April, rumours continued to swirl as O’Mahoney cut a frustrated figure after being taken off in a series of matches.
Beirne is the province’s eighth permanent men’s captain of the professional era – following the likes of Paul O’Connell, Mick Galwey, Anthony Foley and most recently O’Mahony.
Munster host Connacht in their opening game of the season on Saturday at Thomond Park. Kick-off is at 5:30pm and will be available to watch on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.
