Donncha O’Callaghan reveals very intense threat from Peter O’Mahony after Munster training
Donncha O’Callaghan has revealed the menacing threat that he was given from a young Peter O’Mahony following a Munster training session.
Peter rode off into the sunset following a stellar career earlier this year, when he retired from club rugby at the end of the 2024-25 season — with his Munster teammate Donncha having retired back in 2018.
Appearing on Donncha and Tommy Bowe’s podcast The Offload to discuss his career, Tommy asked the former Munster and Ireland teammates how they got on in the dressing room — with Donncha re-telling Tommy of the first encounter they had; which saw Peter threaten to break Donncha’s jaw.
Donncha O’Callaghan has revealed the menacing threat that he was given from a young Peter O’Mahony following a Munster training session. Pic: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
‘Do you remember our [training] session when ye got back from the U20s World Cup?’ Donncha asked a chuckling Peter. ‘We were into our pre-season [training] and they were coming back a little bit late.
‘Basically, I don’t know who was taking the fitness session on the back pitch at UL, but they said that the senior lads had to do 12 [runs], and because the academies are only back first week in, they’re gonna do six.’
Ever the cheeky chap, Donncha admitted ‘I was just being a bit of a b****x,’ by saying loud enough for the academy players to hear: ‘I wouldn’t be walking off if I was a 19, 20 year old, if there are senior lads still working here.’
Peter O’Mahony called it a career earlier this year at the end of the last season. Pic: INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli
Donncha then said that Pete pulled ‘six, seven of the lads into a little huddle’ before they decided to do the remaining runs — but after the session, Peter took umbrage with Donncha’s comments.
‘I felt an arm around my shoulder and it was like Hagrid,’ Donncha said. ‘There’s Pete, looked me square in the eye, and went: “we’re following a return to play protocol, and you jeopardised that this morning. If any of my lads pull up with a hamstring or a calf, I’m gonna break your jaw.”‘
Despite the threat, Donncha admitted that he admired Peter looking out for the academy lads, telling him: ‘you weren’t chatting about you, or your problem, you were looking out for the betterment of the whole squad — and that’s something that’s always stayed with me.’
The lads were teammates for nearly a decade before Donncha retired in 2018. Pic: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
Peter didn’t back down from the threat, either, telling Donncha: ‘yeah, yeah, well, you were out of line like,’ while Tommy and Donncha laughed, before agreeing ‘I was indeed.’
Peter wrapped up his career back in May, with Munster crashing out of the URC at the quarter final following a heartbreaking penalty loss to Sharks.
The clip of Peter’s threat to Donncha can be watched below:
