Warrior Peter O'Mahony 'at peace' with end of road in sight

The old dog for the hard road is almost out of road.

But Peter O'Mahony, who on Thursday announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the season, is "at peace" with his decision.

For 15 years and across over 300 professional appearances, the former Munster, Ireland and Lions captain has put his body on the line for the cause, displaying scant regard for the consequences of his abrasive style.

He gave serious consideration to calling it a day at the end of last season, which would have meant he signed off in his final season as a Six Nations-winning captain.

But the hunger and drive remained, and he was able to reason himself out of it.

And last Saturday’s performance against Wales, where he played 80 minutes and made 19 tackles in the crucial Six Nations win, proved him right.

"It took a while," said the 35-year-old on Thursday when asked about how he came to his decision.

"I obviously thought about it last year under lots of different circumstances.

"It was something I had to weigh up, family-wise, club-wise. I think my big litmus test was whether I was capable of continuing to play for Ireland.

"That was the big thing. I'm glad I made the call. I'm happy with the decision now."

Most players agonise at the prospect of calling it a day, the thoughts of veering over to the side of the road to let others pass by painful. There’s an understandable fear of the unknown.

The Corkman has been a rugby player since the age of five, and a professional since the age of 20 when he made his Munster debut while still in the academy.

He knows "nothing else other than rugby."

"I think I'm at peace, yeah," he said.

"If you'd said to me at [age] five or six, or 10, or 17 or 18, or 25, that I'd be sitting here and be still playing for Ireland at