Toughest.

Ireland and Munster flanker Peter O’Mahony has played with and against some of the very best back-row in the world throughout his career.

O’Mahony has competed at the highest level in Europe and internationally, coming up against monstrous and menacing combinations from across the globe.

But the toughest combination he has come up against comes from somewhere that might surprise you. In his early professional days, O’Mahony recalls going up against the Ospreys in Wales.

O’Mahony has played against some of the best Springbok and All Blacks back-rows over the years, as well as some of the best packs in Europe so for him to say his toughest back-row match-up came from a domestic game against the Ospreys might sound a little confusing.

That is until you realise who was in that back-row on the day…

“I was lucky enough to play with a lot of them and to be on the raw end of them at training,” O’Mahony said.

“In games, I remember for some reason that Ospreys team when I first started off. They had a back-row of Jerry Collins, [Filo] Tiatia and Marty Holah would have been playing in the back-row as well.

“I was only probably just out of my teens. It was a nasty enough back-row to be coming up against. Over in Wales, not to mind at home in Thomond Park as well.”

Outside of that O’Mahony also mentioned two All Blacks greats in Richie McCaw and Kieran Read, the latter he said was the most “skilful” player he’s ever come up against.

“Obviously, the All Blacks, guys like McCaw, any of those teams that we came up against are all… Kieran Read was probably the most skilful I’ve come up against, whether it was backs or forwards – he’d be well up there as well,” O’Mahony added.

GreenAware ambassador Peter O’Mahony is highlighting how small changes in our day-to-day lives make a big impact on the environment as part of the GreenAware #DoBitsHelpLots campaign. With GreenAware, reducing our carbon footprint has never been easier, with their range of compostable bags that are durable, leak-resistant and made from plant-based ingredients.