Rugby-Ireland names O'Mahony as new captain

Experienced Munster backrow Peter O'Mahony was named as the new Ireland captain on Wednesday as coach Andy Farrell began the post-Johnny Sexton era by naming a mostly experienced 34-man squad to defend their Six Nations championship.

Experienced Munster backrow Peter O'Mahony was named as the new Ireland captain on Wednesday as coach Andy Farrell began the post-Johnny Sexton era by naming a mostly experienced 34-man squad to defend their Six Nations championship. O'Mahony, 34, has captained the side 10 times before having led Ireland at underage levels before winning his first of his 101 caps. He has also skippered Munster for years and captained the British & Irish Lions in the opening test of the 2017 tour.

O'Mahony got the armband ahead of new Leinster co-captains Garry Ringrose and James Ryan, who were included in the squad. Given his age, O'Mahony may well lead Ireland for the next couple of Six Nations rather than through to the 2027 World Cup. "Ever since I was a boy starting off in the game, I have always dreamed of captaining Ireland," O'Mahony said in a statement.

"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."