Peter O'Mahony, the fiery Irish flanker, recently shed light on his somewhat tense yet humorous reunion with New Zealand's Sam Cane—a spat originating from an infamous comment made during a heated 2022 Test series. O'Mahony had famously belted out “You’re just a s*** Richie McCaw” at Cane, an off-the-cuff remark that exploded on social media and added fuel to the Ireland-New Zealand rivalry.
Despite the initial awkwardness, the pair encountered each other again this year while playing for the Barbarians. The event was ripe for promotional antics, but O'Mahony dismissed them, stating on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, “The BaaBaas were trying to get us to do like me bringing him the cup of tea thing on social media – jog on.”
"I met him and I said: 'How’s the form' like,"
O'Mahony recounted their first interaction, which led to a comical misunderstanding due to their accents. Cane had misheard "How’s the form?" as "How’s the farm?"—a mix-up he clarified only after consulting an online search for Irish phrases. "He was thinking, ‘I don’t know how to answer this fella…’” O'Mahony chuckled.
The Irishman also reflected on the 2022 comment, dismissing it as trivial compared to the usual banter, “That’s just the TV cameras picking stuff up. Back in the day, there were probably much wittier stuff said. It was actually a s*** gag when you think about it, because he (McCaw) was the greatest player of all time.”
Both O'Mahony and former England star James Haskell, who was also present on the podcast, agreed that what’s said on the field typically stays on the field. Haskell elaborated, “You would have to go some way to tell me something in the game and for me to take it seriously.” He emphasized the camaraderie that often develops among players off the field despite on-field conflicts.
The story of O'Mahony and Cane is a testament to the complex dynamics of rugby—intense rivalries on the field but a mutual respect off it. Theirs is a narrative that encapsulates the spirit and the occasional awkwardness of rugby's international brotherhood.
2,193 posts
Peter O'Mahony, the fiery Irish flanker, recently shed light on his somewhat tense yet humorous reunion with New Zealand's Sam Cane—a spat originating from an infamous comment made during a heated 2022 Test series. O'Mahony had famously belted out “You’re just a s*** Richie McCaw” at Cane, an off-the-cuff remark that exploded on social media and added fuel to the Ireland-New Zealand rivalry.
Despite the initial awkwardness, the pair encountered each other again this year while playing for the Barbarians. The event was ripe for promotional antics, but O'Mahony dismissed them, stating on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, “The BaaBaas were trying to get us to do like me bringing him the cup of tea thing on social media – jog on.”
"I met him and I said: 'How’s the form' like,"
O'Mahony recounted their first interaction, which led to a comical misunderstanding due to their accents. Cane had misheard "How’s the form?" as "How’s the farm?"—a mix-up he clarified only after consulting an online search for Irish phrases. "He was thinking, ‘I don’t know how to answer this fella…’” O'Mahony chuckled.
The Irishman also reflected on the 2022 comment, dismissing it as trivial compared to the usual banter, “That’s just the TV cameras picking stuff up. Back in the day, there were probably much wittier stuff said. It was actually a s*** gag when you think about it, because he (McCaw) was the greatest player of all time.”
Both O'Mahony and former England star James Haskell, who was also present on the podcast, agreed that what’s said on the field typically stays on the field. Haskell elaborated, “You would have to go some way to tell me something in the game and for me to take it seriously.” He emphasized the camaraderie that often develops among players off the field despite on-field conflicts.
The story of O'Mahony and Cane is a testament to the complex dynamics of rugby—intense rivalries on the field but a mutual respect off it. Theirs is a narrative that encapsulates the spirit and the occasional awkwardness of rugby's international brotherhood.