'Over the last four or five years we've seen the best of him' - Ireland turn to 'lineout expert' Peter O'Mahony in Edinburgh

While we were all knee-deep in the Prendergast-Crowley debate, and gushing at the incredible return of Dan Sheehan, there wasn't a word all week for Peter O’Mahony.

The Ireland coaches rarely make it to their team announcement without some details slipping through the cracks, but the return of the Munster man to Ireland's team for Sunday's game against Scotland (live on RTÉ2 and RTE Player) hadn't been telegraphed.

A tough run of injuries this season stunted the 35-year-old's campaign so far, playing just five times for Munster, and although he featured off the bench three times in the Autumn Nations Series, he’s been preferred to Ryan Baird and Jack Conan at blindside flanker for what will be his first Test start since Ireland’s opening Test in South Africa last summer.

It feels appropriate that the veteran back row comes in. Ireland-Scotland games are always a bit spicier when he’s involved.

Seventeen months ago, he earned his 100th cap as Ireland walloped the Scots in their final pool game of the Rugby World Cup. O’Mahony was at his belligerent best that day, stealing two lineouts in the 36-14 hammering in Paris, and winding the opposition up to the point of distraction.

There’s plenty of bad blood between these two sides, and O’Mahony has played his part in creating that divide, in large part down to his TV comments shortly after the final whistle after that World Cup game.

"They were in the press beforehand saying they were going to knock us off and end our streak, how they figured us out and worked us out. I don’t think they did, to be honest with you," he said, with a withering delivery.

Having lost 10 times in a row in this fixture, Gregor Townsend’s side aren't lacking motivation this weekend, but the sight of