The captain’s armband comes in the middle of a busy season at provincial level
Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell has named Ireland’s 34-player squad for the upcoming 6 Nations campaign with Munster’s Peter O’Mahony set to captain the side.
The squad will meet next week to begin their preparations for what will be a grueling championship. Farrell has selected three further training additions with Munster’s Oli Jager and Thomas Ahern and Leinster’s Sam Prendergast travelling with the team to Portugal for their pre-tournament training camp in Quinta do Lago.
O’Mahony, who has captained Ireland on ten previous occasions, will be taking over from Johnny Sexton, who called time on his international career following Ireland’s 2023 World Cup quarter final defeat to New Zealand.
Andy Farrell, who will be hoping for back-to-back championships, outlined how confident he is in his charges and also touches on the difficulty in their opening encounter against France, who currently sit fourth in the world.
“The forthcoming Men’s Guinness Six Nations presents an opportunity for us to grow and develop. The Six Nations is one of the biggest stages in world rugby and this year’s competition will be keenly fought. I am pleased with the quality of performances by the extended group over the last number of weeks and believe that the squad is in good shape”, he said.
“I would like to congratulate all those who have been selected, especially those who are at the beginning of their international journeys. It doesn’t get much tougher than France away in the opening weekend, but it is a challenge that we will approach in a positive frame of mind”, he added.
Peter O’Mahony also commented on his role as captain for the 2024 and the pride it will bring him
“Ever since I was a boy starting off in the game, I have always dreamed of captaining Ireland. I have been asked to lead Ireland on a number of occasions previously, and each of those 10 matches were special days. To be now asked to captain Ireland ahead of the Six Nations is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life and I would like to thank Andy for this show of faith in me.
“We have a strong core of leaders who will all play a key role in driving the highest standards for the team over the coming weeks. Competition is red hot across the squad and we’re all hugely motivated to work hard when we meet up next week ahead of the opening game in Marseille.”
Ireland kick off their campaign with a trip to Marseille before back-to-back home matches against Italy and Wales. Ireland will then travel to London for a mouth-watering clash with England before concluding the championship against Scotland in Dublin.