Will Greenwood said it best about Peter O’Mahony: “If all the wild horsemen of the apocalypse came around the corner, O’Mahony would charge straight back at them.”
Irish rugby’s toughest player is someone who plays in opposition faces and doesn’t back down.
If he’d been at Rorke’s Drift, the Zulus would have gone home before the end of the first morning’s play.
Read more : Meet the 22-year-old dairy farmer who lined up against Ken Owens in Welsh Premiership clash
But here’s the thing: The Dragons rattled him on Sunday. Wound him up like a clockwork toy, to mix metaphors further. O’Mahony was first enraged, then just seething, then quietly so disbelieving of what had unfolded that he afforded himself a quarter smile.
Matters blew up in the 58th minute of the BKT United Rugby Championship encounter between the Dragons and Munster at Rodney Parade, a game the hosts won 23-17. You can read more about a famous victory for the Gwent team here.
Minus one of his flashy white boots he had lost in a ruck, O’Mahony emerged from the pile of bodies entangled with Taine Basham, who clearly thought he was being held.
A toe-to-toe followed with referee Sam Grove-White not entirely successful in separating the pair. Home scrum-half Rhodri Williams joined in the fun by aiming a pass at O’Mahony as the two protagonists backed away, but matters hadn’t finished.
After the fired-up Munster flanker brought replacement prop Chris Coleman crashing to the ground with a tackle, Ross Moriarty decided to bring his own brand of peacemaking to proceedings, playfully warming O’Mahony’s kidneys with a couple of slaps in the fresh ruck that had formed and then screaming in his face.
It's just a wild guess, but the up-close-and-personal exchange may not have involved the Wales back rower saying: “Pete, what fun we’re having. Feel free to take liberties with any of our players whenever you want. We’re all for that around here.”
A couple more passive-aggressive pats on the Irishman’s right arm followed before the two Lions rose, with Moriarty lifting his red-shirted opponent and giving him a tap on the chest and a wink before exiting the scene sporting a significant grin.
For good measure, Basham lobbed a few words into the mix. Slowly, the scowl that may or may not have been on O’Mahony’s face since he first sampled rusks in his early years back home in Cork gave way to acceptance that he hadn’t come out on top in this one.
There followed this exchange…
Referee Grove-White: “Just tie your lace, Pete, and we’ll have a chat.”
O’Mahony: “I know that was wrong but are you going to let that petulant s*** [go], with the 9 playing the ball off me?”
Grove-White: “That wasn't what the penalty was for.”
O’Mahony: “I know that.”
Grove-White: “That wouldn't happen if you two weren't holding each other. Now, I don't want to see that happen again.”
O’Mahony: “Fair enough.”
Penalising Munster, Grove-White added: “Calm down, be better and we're going to go with a penalty for not rolling.”
In the BBC Wales commentary box, Gareth Rhys Owen apologised for O’Mahony’s delve into the area of industrial language, adding: “He’s always got something to say.”
His partner behind the mic, ex-Wales forward Andrew Coombs, described O’Mahony as a very physical player.
Few would disagree. A ferocious competitor who is excellent at what he does, O'Mahony is a player most would always want on their side. But the Dragons scored a points victory over him in that micro-exchange around the hour mark on Sunday.
Such occurrences don't happen often.
READ MORE:
Rugby news as Louis Rees-Zammit told to change positions for Wales v New Zealand
'Model pro' and ex-Scarlets captain given chance to sign for another Welsh team
Toby Booth's side throw away victory late on despite Keelan Giles' try double
