13 years on from his debut, Peter O'Mahony made his final appearance for Ireland in emotional circumstances on Saturday afternoon.
Fittingly, O'Mahony's last outing in green came against the same team he made his debut against in 2012, with the Munster flanker named on the bench for the final Six Nations tie against Italy.
The sense of excitement around the trip to Rome was admittedly dampened somewhat by last week's crushing home defeat to France, which effectively ended Ireland's hopes of claiming a third successive Six Nations crown.
However, the farewell to departing trio Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, and Cian Healy offered a fiercely emotional angle to Saturday's clash in the Stadio Olimpico.
It is no secret that O'Mahony has long been held as one of Irish rugby's great fan favourites, and the enormous Ireland crowd in the Stadio Olimpico stood to salute a legend of the game as he entered the field of play for the final time.
The former captain was emotional in his post-match interview with RTÉ, as he reflected on a memorable career in green.
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Peter O'Mahony reflects on Ireland career
Peter O'Mahony spoke to RTÉ pitchside in Rome, and admitted that the emotion of his final appearance for Ireland was almost too much to take in.
“I’ve been so lucky… I’m very grateful.” –Peter O’Mahony walks into the sunset after a brilliant Ireland career #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/DEwbubABI0
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) March 15, 2025
In a wonderful answer, O'Mahony said that he only hoped he had reciprocated the special efforts he had felt from his family and teammates in supporting him over his time representing his country.
[Emotions are] a little bit all over the place...we've been on a bit of a journey with this group.
It's bringing back memories. The first cap was against Italy and here we are...I've been so lucky and it's such a privilege to play for your country once never mind 100+ times.
It was great. The main thing was the performance. We probably didn't get that but we got the win.
You invest a lot in people. This group's invested a lot, be it over a few years or even the last eight weeks. We're a tight group. I appreciate everything - the staff, all the work they've put into me over the years, over the last few weeks.
Your teammates dig deep for you. I hope I've reciprocated that. I hope they feel I've done the same. I appreciate all the work that's gone in, all the boys have done. It's unbelievable, obviously.
It's nice to spend a few moments with your family, my wife obviously has sacrificed a huge amount. They've come and supported me all over the world. I'm very lucky.
Some estimates suggested that as many as 30,000 Ireland fans had made the journey to Rome for Saturday's Six Nations clash with Italy.
The stands were certainly awash with green, and renditions of the 'Fields of Athenry' roared around the famous Roman stadium throughout the game.
However, the most powerful moment of the game came with the second-half introduction of O'Mahony off the bench.
Winning his 113th and final cap, the cameras first picked up O'Mahony being prepared to replace Josh van der Flier with half an hour to play in the Stadio Olimpico.
As his face appeared on the screens around the stadium, an enormous cheer went up from the Ireland fans.
The volume only grew when O'Mahony appeared on the sideline and entered the field of play for the last time as an Irish player. The fans in green in the stadium stood to show their appreciation for one of the jersey's greatest servants.
The TV cameras also caught an emotional shot of O'Mahony's wife Jessica in the crowd, soaking up the immense welcome given to her husband by the travelling fans.
Munster icon O'Mahony had previously been emotional during the (admittedly bizarre) pre-match rendition of Ireland's Call.
O'Mahony has been one of Irish rugby's greatest modern figures, captaining his country to a Six Nations title last year in his 12th year as a full international. Having also captained the Lions in a test in 2017, he has firmly secured his place as a modern legend of the game on this island.
His Ireland career may have come to an end, but O'Mahony insisted that his focus would quickly shift to bringing his time with Munster to a memorable end in the months to come.
"Ah look, I'll go back home now, I've a bit to go with Munster, some big games coming up," he said.
"It's nice the way that I've gone about it, I can tick things off as I go along. A few months to go and I'll keep the head down."
It is hard to visualise an Ireland team without Peter O'Mahony, and he will be sorely missed by the Irish fans who have made him a hero over the past decade and more.
There was a similar response when Conor Murray was introduced off the bench for his final appearance, while the appearance of Cian Healy on the big screens also garnered big cheers from the crowd.
Three immense servants of Irish rugby.
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