{"id":291310,"date":"2023-10-05T17:25:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T17:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=291310"},"modified":"2023-10-05T17:25:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T17:25:31","slug":"the-haggard-badgers-value-to-ireland-highlighted-ahead-of-milestone-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/rugby-union\/the-haggard-badgers-value-to-ireland-highlighted-ahead-of-milestone-match\/","title":{"rendered":"The Haggard Badger\u2019s value to Ireland highlighted ahead of milestone match"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Iain Henderson revealed Test centurion Peter O\u2019Mahony has been dubbed the \u201cHaggard Badger\u201d by his Ireland team-mates.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Mahony will become only the 10th Irishman to earn 100 caps after being selected to start Saturday\u2019s crucial Rugby World Cup clash with Scotland in Paris.<\/p>\n

Head coach Andy Farrell and captain Johnny Sexton were among those to pay tribute to the Munster skipper ahead of his landmark outing.<\/p>\n

Lock Henderson also offered a glowing testimony but could not resist divulging an unflattering nickname based on O\u2019Mahony\u2019s well-worn features and greying hair, which was reportedly invented by prop Dave Kilcoyne.<\/p>\n

Asked about the 34-year-old, Henderson replied: \u201cThe Haggard Badger?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Haggard Badger, I think he\u2019s been coined. I\u2019m not 100 per cent sure where that came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, who was sitting next to Henderson, confirmed Kilcoyne was responsible, before the Ulster skipper continued: \u201cPete\u2019s a massive leader for our group.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only in terms of rugby but in terms of what we stand for as players, the social side of things, how well knitted together we are, he\u2019s a massive part of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously I\u2019m sure a lot of the cliches will come out now, but Peter rings true to most of them. He\u2019s deserving of every minute of the jerseys he\u2019s played in and, to this day, still nailing that down.<\/p>\n

The Haggard Badger, I think he’s been coined. I\u2019m not 100 per cent sure where that came from<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see in Faz\u2019s (Farrell\u2019s) selections and how highly Faz speaks of him, I think that all rings true to the type of person he is. And long may that continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Mahony is poised to join Ireland greats Brian O\u2019Driscoll, Ronan O\u2019Gara, Rory Best, Paul O\u2019Connell and John Hayes on the select list of centurions, plus current team-mates Cian Healy, Sexton, Conor Murray and Keith Earls.<\/p>\n

The flanker, who made his international debut against Italy in 2012, will seek to mark the milestone appearance by helping his country avoid an upset against the Scots to reach the knockout stages in France.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can sit here all day the two of us and talk about what he brings, what he means to us all, what type of bloke he is, what type of family man he is,\u201d Farrell, sitting alongside Sexton, said of O\u2019Mahony.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019d be here the whole press conference. To sum him up, he\u2019s selfless.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys would see the performance on the pitch and it\u2019s heroic from Pete. You can see what it means for him to play for Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we obviously see behind the scenes and he\u2019s definitely, 100 per cent, one of the best I\u2019ve ever seen at making the dressing room feel right.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s not just a skill. It\u2019s him being himself because it\u2019s genuine and I\u2019m sure Johnny would echo this that there\u2019s no better man that you would want sat at the side of you in the dressing room at the weekend than Peter O\u2019Mahony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sexton added: \u201cI don\u2019t think you guys get to see the real Peter O\u2019Mahony.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gives very little away when he sits up here, one word answers, but he\u2019s the life and soul of the dressing room behind closed doors and it\u2019s a privilege to play with him all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be playing for him as much as we are for ourselves on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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