Peter O'Mahony: Ireland flanker steps down as Munster captain

O'Mahony captained Munster to last season's United Rugby Championship title, the province's first major honour in 12 years

Ireland flanker Peter O'Mahony has stepped down as Munster captain after 10 years in the role.

O'Mahony, 34, first captained his province in 2011 before taking on the responsibility full-time after Doug Howlett's departure in 2013.

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has not yet confirmed O'Mahony's replacement as skipper.

"Captaining Munster has been a dream come true for me," said O'Mahony, who has 101 caps for Ireland.

"I grew up watching and idolising the Munster team and in particular the people who were leading the team.

"People like Mick Galwey, Jim Williams, then on to the likes of ROG [Ronan O'Gara] and Paul [O'Connell], who I had the privilege of playing with at the start of my career."

O'Mahony, who captained Munster to last season's United Rugby Championship title, added: "I can remember the day I was asked to be captain like it was yesterday and discussing it with Paul to get his approval.

"From that day to this it's been an utter privilege and has never been something I've taken for granted.

"However, having given a huge amount of thought to it, I think it is the right time to step back from the role to share my experiences and give the same guidance that I received when I took on the role."

'He will still be a massive leader within the group'

Rowntree paid tribute to O'Mahony by saying he has been a "fantastic captain".

"To lead Munster from such a young age and for so many years speaks volumes of his ability as a player on the pitch and a person off it," said Rowntree.

"He commands huge respect and will still be a massive leader within the group. To have someone of Pete's experience on hand to help us with the succession process is invaluable.

"We have a strong leadership group within the squad and will confirm a new squad captain in due course."

O'Mahony was part of the Ireland squad that exited the Rugby World Cup with a quarter-final defeat by New Zealand in October.

The 2017 British and Irish Lions tourist admitted he was undecided over his international future following Ireland's World Cup exit.