Munster Rugby announced the news about the 34-year-old on Wednesday evening.
Peter O’Mahony’s ten-year stint as Munster captain has come to a surprising end following a statement released on Wednesday night.
Munster confirmed on their website that the Ireland flanker has come to the decision that he will no longer be leading his province out as captain.
Munster Head-Coach Graham Rountree has paid tribute to the 34-year-old’s services leading the line for the last decade.
“You couldn’t pick a better leader than Pete and he has been a fantastic captain for this club.
“To lead Munster from such a young age and for so many years speaks volumes of his ability as a player on the pitch and a person off it.
“He commands huge respect and will still be a massive leader within the group. To have someone of Pete’s experience on hand to help us with succession process is invaluable.
“We have a strong leadership group within the squad and will confirm a new squad captain in due course.”
O’Mahony first captained Munster competitively in September 2011 at the age of 21. He had only made 11 appearances for the province before this and he was officially given the captain’s armband ahead of the 2013/14 season two years later following the departure of Doug Howlett. As well as captaining Munster, O’Mahony has also captained the British and Irish Lions.
“I can remember the day I was asked to be captain like it was yesterday and discussing it with Paul to get his approval, O Mahony said.
“From that day to this it’s been an utter privilege and has never been something that I’ve taken for granted.
“However, having given a huge amount of thought to it, I think it is the right time to step back from the role to share my experiences and give the same guidance that I received when I took the role.
“What an unbelievable honour it has been…and will continue to be,” he concluded.
Munster have confirmed that they are yet to find O’Mahony’s replacement as the side’s leader which will cause quite the selection headache for Graham Rowntree.