Life will always throw challenges at you but you hope they are not as damn heartbreaking as what Peter O’Mahony had to go through yesterday.
The Munster captain grew up idolising Anthony Foley and striving to one day get where his hero was.
Foley has now passed away and O’Mahony has the captaincy that his hero once held. As Munster captain, the 27-year-old knew he would have to get through an extremely difficult press conference as it is what ‘Axel’ would have done.
“Our main thing is that we are there for Olive [Foley’s wife] and the kids. That has been our focus aside from being within the four walls [here] and that is all we are thinking about,” he said.
“We’ve just got to be there for them at this time. It’s not about us or anything else.”
O’Mahony set his heart on being Munster No.8 from an early age. He was 16 when Foley, in that same number, led his province to their first Heineken Cup trophy. Already he had turned heads in schools rugby and he would soon be drafted into the Munster academy. He said:
“I grew up following him around the place, even though he didn’t know it. And then to be allowed come in and rub shoulders with guys like him… he had just finished playing when I came into the academy and my developmental contract.
“But for him to be around and to be allowed talk to him and be in his presence was a dream come true at the time. It stayed that way up until last weekend.”
O’Mahony was earmarked as a future Munster captain from almost the moment he set foot in the place. Paul O’Connell recalls this young Cork lad walking around the seniors dressing room after a home game and shaking everyone’s hands; introducing himself.
He made a start at No.8 but his home has been blindside for the last few seasons. Foley would not mind the switch at all. He was always immensely proud of O’Mahony.
Asked for the biggest lesson Axel ever thought him, O’Mahony manages a few poignant sentences before the reality of the great man’s passing hits home for the umpteenth time. He said:
“I learned a huge amount from him. I couldn’t just pick one thing from him, I could pick the rugby side of stuff.
“I learned life skills from him, family skills from him. Seeing him bring… Tony and Dan [his sons] around the dressing room after games. I used to say that I’d love to bring my kids around…”
That was all O’Mahony could manage but it was enough. More than enough.
Munster will play Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park from 1pm on Saturday and will try everything in their power to send him off on a winning note. It seems trivial whether they do or not but rugby and life brooks on.
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