A changing of the guard is set to take place in Irish rugby with three legends of the game – all of them British & Irish Lions – calling time on their international career.
Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy will all step away from international rugby at the end of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations with each man looking to finish with a sixth title in the Championship.
Between them, they travelled on five Lions Tours, with Murray and O’Mahony both captaining the side.
Healy – Ireland’s most capped player of all time – and O’Mahony will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season, while Murray will leave Munster to take up an opportunity overseas.
With their retirement, a page is turning in Irish rugby, with the trio having been part of the set-up for more than a decade.
O’Mahony made his international debut in 2012 and took over the Ireland captaincy after the 2023 World Cup when Johnny Sexton retired.
READ MORE: For centurion O’Mahony it’s all in the eyes
The back-rower was part of the 2017 Lions Tour to New Zealand, and captained the Test side in the opening fixture against the All Blacks with Tour captain Sam Warburton on the bench.
Healy was part of the Lions squad that toured Australia four years previously in 2013, but saw his Tour cut short by injury, suffering ankle ligament damage in the clash with the Western Force, the first game in Australia.
That Tour also saw Murray make his first appearance for the Lions, the scrum-half coming off the bench in the second and third Tests against the Wallabies.
He then started all three Test matches against the All Blacks in 2017, scoring a try in the second Test victory in Wellington.
READ MORE: Moments that made Conor Murray
And four years on, when Alun Wyn Jones suffered an injury in the opening game of the Tour in Edinburgh, Murray was given the Tour captaincy.
He again featured in all three Tests, starting the second and coming off the bench in the other two.
As a result of being part of the first Test victory, Murray joined a select group of just 10 players to have won Test matches for the Lions against each of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby said of the trio: “Since joining the Ireland coaching team back in 2014 it has been a privilege to work with Peter, Cian and Conor. They have each played a huge role in the success of Irish Rugby over the course of their careers and they continue to inspire their teammates around them.
“Watching how openly they engage with players in their own position and continue to add value around the set-up is testament to their collective character and they are also adding real value on the pitch. Knowing each of the guys, they will be focused on achieving even more success this season and we are determined as a group to end their careers with Ireland on a high over these last two rounds.”
