To go from captaining the Lions in the First Test against New Zealand to cheering them on in the Second Test from the stands is quite the step down.
Peter O’Mahony will not play for the British & Irish Lions in Wellington this weekend. With just one game left on the Lions tour to New Zealand, he may not feature again.
Warren Gatland has made three changes to his starting XV as he chases a Test victory that will keep this toughest of Test Series alive. O’Mahony is the main casualty while George Kruis must be cursing an under-par First Test outing and the unfortunate Ben Te’o must be cursing everything in his path.
Tour captain Sam Warburton has been recalled to lead the Lions at ‘The Cake Tin’ and while he has hardly shot the lights out on tour, O’Mahony cannot have too many complaints. The Test jersey was his for the First Test, no more, no less, and he did not do enough to retain it.
One of the most curious aspects of O’Mahony’s performance was its lack of bile and bite. While he stuck 13 tackles in just 53 minutes, there were few worrying occasions where he was out-scrapped, out-muscled or both.
Credit: Sky Sport NZWhile the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Matt Giteau debated whether the Munster captain had been unfairly made the scapegoat for the 30-15 loss at Eden Park, Stephen Ferris made another suggestion.
The former Ireland and Lions star told The Hard Yards rugby podcast:
“Chatting to a couple of the Sky [Sports] lads and others that are close to Warren Gatland, they told me he really, really liked Peter O’Mahony. He saw Pete as one of his main players in the Test side and then he’s straight out of the 23.
“I’m not sure if Pete is carrying a little bit of a knock or what’s the case… He’s just not at the top of his game at the minute.”
Ferris feels Lions fans have not truly seen the O’Mahony that Munster and Ireland fans are used to – securing multiple turnovers, making choke tackles and being tigerish at the breakdown – but his lineout game remained as solid as advertised when he first made the squad.
Looking back at footage and pictures from the earlier matches and the First Test, it appears that O’Mahony took some damage to his ribs on the tour. While he wore no heavy, protective padding against either the Crusaders or Maori, he was strapped up for the First Test [see pics below].
O’Mahony’s carried his right arm [also well strapped] heavily on a few occasions in his 53-minute stint but never showed serious signs of discomfort. If he was badly hurt, he never let it show.
One hefty Brodie Retallick tackle at the end of the first half surely did not help, however. The All Blacks lock laid into him with a powerful tackle to O’Mahony’s ribs. The ball was still presented and recycled but O’Mahony gingerly rose as play continued.
There was no talk of O’Mahony being dropped from the squad due to injury at today’s press conference with Gatland. It could have been an easy out but Gatland merely insisted O’Mahony was unlucky not to make the squad.
At this stage of the season, for most Lions, players are into their 11 month and just about everyone is taking to the field with one knock or another.
O’Mahony looked somewhat off the pace in a frenetic First Test and he has paid the price. One hopes those ribs will have healed if he is required for a Third Test that could yet be make-or-break.
