Graham Rowntree: Peter O'Mahony and I did not fall out

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has strongly rejected the idea that he and his former captain Peter O'Mahony fell out last season.

O’Mahony’s decision to stand down as Munster skipper after ten years last November sparked rumours that the pair's relationship had strained, and those rumours continued to hang around in early 2024 before the flanker’s prolonged contract talks were eventually resolved when he signed a new one-year deal in April.

Rowntree yesterday confirmed Tadhg Beirne as his official Munster captain for the season, with the Ireland international having done so on an interim basis for much of last season.

In a lengthy discussion with the media ahead of the new BKT United Rugby Championship season, Rowntree was keen to set the record straight around his relationship with O’Mahony.

"What was the word used? Innuendos. Innuendos around Peter O’Mahony. It’s not easy," he said.

"And by the way, on that, we didn’t fall out. I didn’t raise my voice once.

"I raise my voice a lot in various contexts but I’ve never raised my voice in any contract negotiations. It just took a long time. It’s complicated, that scenario was complicated, but we got to a greater agreement."

Beirne’s [below] appointment as captain came as little surprise, with the Kildare man becoming the province’s eighth permanent men’s captain of the professional era, following on from Pat Murray, Mick Galwey, Jim Williams, Anthony Foley, Paul O’Connell, Doug Howlett and most recently O’Mahony.

"He is world-class, world-class. That's a big one for a captain, I think, he's got to be up there with one of your best players," Rowntree added of his new captain.

"He's got an aura about him, the way he plays the game. He's good for the group, he's a giver as well. He