Should Ireland rest veterans for South Africa tour?

Bernard Jackman says he hopes Peter O'Mahony will extend his career by another season with both Munster and Ireland, however he believes the Ireland captain and multiple other senior players should be rested by Andy Farrell this summer.

O'Mahony is due to come to a decision about his future in the next two weeks, with the 34-year-old admitting last Saturday's Six Nations finale against Scotland could well have been his final game for his country.

While his fellow 34-year-old Conor Murray is believed to have agreed a new deal with Munster and the IRFU, O'Mahony is still deciding on his plans for next season.

The flanker's situation was discussed on the RTÉ Rugby podcast, before attention turned to this summer's Test series against the Springboks.

Ireland are due to travel to South Africa this summer to take on the world champions in a two-Test series, and Jackman believes it's the ideal opportunity to rest O'Mahony, Murray and other seasoned veterans.

"I have no issue with Pete [O'Mahony] or Conor [Murray] being in the Ireland squad next year if they're better than what we have," Jackman told the podcast.

"But, I do think a summer tour on the back of a World Cup year and a Six Nations where they’ve been heavily involved is maybe an opportunity to test the next level down."

The RTÉ analyst and former Grenoble and Dragons coach suggested head coach Andy Farrell should take the opportunity this summer to expand his depth chart around the pitch.

Should Ireland give some of their older players a rest for the summer tour of South Africa? ☘️