Time heals all wounds. Well, almost. Peter O’Mahony can look back and manage the faintest of wry smiles now but it will never be an experience he
will recall fondly. It may be a dream for many a young player to play on the wing for Ireland, but as a wing-forward it was not O'Mahony's, and certainly not an emergency winger before half-time.
Yet that was the fate that befell O'Mahony and Ireland on their only previous visit to Rome's Stadio Olimpico two seasons ago. Already shorn of several frontliners during the campaign, between the 24th and 36th minutes, Keith Earls, Luke Marshall and Earls' replacement, Luke Fitzgerald, all departed injured, and O'Mahony moved to the left wing four minutes before half-time.
“I don’t know if it was a dream or nightmare now, to be honest,” said O’Mahony wryly yesterday. “I certainly wasn’t dreaming about playing on the wing but sometimes these things happen and you have to adapt and get on with it. I certainly wasn’t learning the position from a winger. I said we’d get through it but we didn’t, we were well beaten that day.”
Considering the carnage, it's a wonder Ireland finished within a score, 22-15, as Italy recorded their first win in 16 attempts in the Six Nations. Indeed, for O'Mahony's first couple of minutes on the wing, Brian O'Driscoll was seeing out the second yellow card of his entire test career. "That was early on," recalled O'Mahony. "It was a strange old day."
Eye-opener
Thereafter, O’Driscoll held O’Mahony’s hand as best he could. “You certainly do question yourself when you’re defending a five-metre scrum and you’re defending 60 yards of space instead of about five, but to be fair I had Drico outside me and he was calling their plays and smashing their players at the back. It was pretty impressive to watch from the outside but it’s an eye-opener as well about what the lads do out the back.”
That defeat condemned Ireland to a fifth place finish and signalled the end of both the 2013 Six Nations and Declan Kidney’s time as Ireland head coach. As the Italians and the majority of the 74,000-plus crowd celebrated wildly, it also meant the players had more time to stew on being the first Irish players to lose to Italy in the tournament.
Admittedly, Ireland have taken a long journey since that grim day when Wayne Barnes also sinbinned Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray, as well as Sergio Parisse.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s a different place,” said O’Mahony.
“That was a dark old spot, that day, last game of the Six Nations, yeah, and the personnel hasn’t changed a huge amount, which is probably the most frustrating thing about the time. We had a great group but we just weren’t showing up for each other. Disappointing times all right.”
For that reason, the Munster captain and Ireland blindside maintains their only previous visit to the Stadio Olimpico, will have no bearing on their second sortie there on Saturday in this year’s Six Nations opener.
“I don’t think so. Not for me. Well, you certainly do analyse them and the way they start tournaments, especially at home. The Italian sides are extremely good, they’re really well nailed on, they’re fired up for the start of a tournament, I think, and they’re certainly more dangerous because they’re at home and it’s going to take a big 80 minute performance from us.”
Progressed
O’Mahony also believes this Italian team have progressed from two years ago. “They’ve certainly added a few more strings to their bow. They’re definitely a more complete team than they were back then. They’ve certainly guys like [Alessandro] Zanni and [Sergio] Parisse back, who didn’t play last year against us. I know at ‘10’ he [Kelly Haimona] has brought a different dynamic to them. Guys like [Andrea] Masi and [Luke] McLean, they’ve a great quality backline so their counter-attack, and set-piece attack, they’ve improved upon a huge amount. And their short-side stuff. I think they’re certainly more rounded team than what they were two years ago.”
On message
Ireland go into the game as reigning champions, with the chance to become the first Irish side since the Jackie Kyle vintage of 1949 to retain the title – but O’Mahony no doubt typifies them all in being on message.
“It’s literally zero of our thoughts. We haven’t talked about it. Personally it isn’t in my head. It’s a new chapter. It’s a new competition. It’s put to bed. It’s not going to help us. It’s not going to help us on Saturday against Italy. It’s purely Italy first.”
Accordingly, he will enjoy the occasional stroll around and coffee with team-mates, but his second visit to the Eternal City is strictly business.
“You’d still go for a walk and wander the streets. But you wouldn’t have the old guide book out wandering around on a three-or-four-hour walk.”
“It’s funny. I can say I’ve travelled all over the place but I haven’t really travelled or seen anything. You just get to your hotel, and especially as it’s so close to the game, you’re just in your starting zone and that kind of stuff is irrelevant.”
He’ll return to Rome as a tourist one day. This weekend he’s a rugby player.
