CONOR MURRAY LIKELY experienced a wave of contrasting emotions when Warren Gatland pulled him aside last Saturday and asked him to be his new Lions captain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pride, excitement, nerves. Given the status and weight placed on the role, it\u2019s a lot to digest.<\/p>\n
Peter O\u2019Mahony, who captained the Lions for the first Test against New Zealand in 2017, knows better than most.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very excited, very proud,\u201d O\u2019Mahony says. \u201cA lot of emotions. International rugby is the pinnacle for us, but obviously the Lions is very, very special as well. It\u2019s something you kind of dream of. It\u2019s almost something you dare not to dream about at times, it\u2019s that far up in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor it to be realised is an incredible feeling, but with it comes a lot of responsibility and a pressure as well, but there is no better man than Murr for pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
As has often been pointed out over the last few days, Murray is not a captain at provincial or international level. A potential problem? Not in the slightest, according to O\u2019Mahony.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe leads by his actions. He leads by the way he runs the game. Naturally, your half-backs will always dictate the play and the tempo. They dictate a huge amount and they have an incredible understanding of the game-plan and rugby in general.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
O’Mahony and Murray both toured with the Lions in 2017. Source: Dan Sheridan\/INPHO<\/p>\n
\u201cThat all stands for a huge amount when it comes to the captaincy, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Lions tourist four years ago, O\u2019Mahony was offering his views on Murray and the Lions captaincy from a distance, sitting in for the injured James Ryan \u2013 who is battling to be fit for Ireland\u2019s game against Japan on Saturday \u2013 during yesterday\u2019s media session from the IRFU\u2019s High Performance Centre.<\/p>\n
With 13 uncapped players in the squad, there is a different dynamic around this Ireland camp as Andy Farrell looks to build towards the future, with O\u2019Mahony one of the few established senior internationals in the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it\u2019s a new group, so it\u2019s about how quickly we can get together and gel and be cohesive,\u201d O\u201dMahony says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing to be playing for each other is a big thing and playing for the Irish jersey. At the end of the day, that\u2019s what is measured every time you take to the field as the Irish national team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that will change. It\u2019s about us putting ourselves under pressure to perform. Our performance at the end of the day is the big thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are guys at different stages here but at the end of the day, you come together to play for Ireland and that in itself deserves a huge amount of respect.<\/p>\n
Of course, the focus will largely remain on those new faces in the group, but O\u2019Mahony is also determined to make the most of his time in camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy aim is to play as well as I can if I\u2019m selected for the team,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get better, to improve my rugby, keep learning, enjoy myself, you know? Things we sometimes forget about in the heat of the environment. To enjoy it is incredibly important, because it\u2019s great craic to be involved here, it\u2019s really good fun being in camp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cBut at the end of the day we\u2019re all here to get better and that\u2019s the bottom line. For me it\u2019s about constantly learning and striving to improve my game.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than once, O\u2019Mahony mentions the pressures and stresses that come hand in hand with an Ireland camp, particularly for the uncapped players trying to digest new information and make the right impressions. With that in mind, O\u2019Mahony tries to play his part in creating a relaxed environment away from the training pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are times you obviously train and you\u2019re 100% switched on, but you are just having the craic around the place and I think it relaxes them as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not wound up 24\/7, there\u2019s down times and there\u2019s craic to be had and being down in the team room, going for coffees, that kind of thing is important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be around forever for any of us, so it\u2019s important to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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