Ireland hard man Peter O'Mahony proved he's not a cyborg as the back-rower burst into tears as Andy Farrell's men secured a historic series win against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.
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“S*** Richie McCaw” – Nigel Owens names rugby’s top five biggest trash talkers
This list is formed from a number of interviews with popular referee Nigel Owens and features current and ex-Rugby players.
#1. Peter O'Mahony
From his legendary outburst at England prop Kyle Sinckler to his more recent verbal assasination of All Blacks captain Sam Cane, the Ireland flanker is one of the games premier sh**talkers. Just on Saturday he was caught on the referee's microphone saying to Cane: “Who do you think you are? You’re a shit Richie McCaw pal.”
Nigel Owens said: “I’m not saying Peter O’Mahony is a dirty player one bit but he certainly has a bit of history. I remember seeing him square up to Sinckler and thinking I’m glad I haven’t ran into him in a dark alley. You can hear his loud voice bellow from a mile away.”
#2. Joe Marler
It's hard to keep the Harlequins prop quiet, who never fails to share what he is thinking. There is the obvious 'Gypseygate' scandal we can reference, but there was also a brilliant time he let the Exeter lads know what he thought of their controversial Caterpillar Ruck tactic.
Nigel Owens said: "He is always trying to be funny on the field, in a nice way. You're trying to tell yourself to be serious and he'd wink at you. I saw him get under the skin of even the most calm player."
#3. Kyle Sinckler
During the 2018 Autumn International clash at Twickenham, viewers heard him tell Australia’s forward pack: “You’re all ****ing snitches anyway”.
As Balls.ie and others have pointed out, Sinckler’s comments were surely in reference to Australia’s decision to drop Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper for the England game. The pair were dropped after they were found to have brought guests back to the team hotel following a defeat in Wales earlier this month.
#4. Austin Healey
Harry Ellis had taken Austin Healey's position at scrum-half in 2001 - and Healey had dropped to the bench. In the changing rooms before the game, the experienced Healey came over to Ellis and asked how he was feeling ahead of his debut in front of 15,000 at Welford Road - Ellis replied 'I'm really, really nervous about it mate - absolutely bricking myself!', to which Healey told him 'Yeah, well you should be nervous - because you're f*cking sh*t!'
Nigel Owens said: "Definitely. I only caught him towards the end of his career, thankfully. A wonderfully talented player and a very good pundit now, but he always had plenty to say to anyone who would listen and quickly assumed I didn't like him. He's actually blocked me on Twitter, but I don't think I'm the only one."
#5. Dan Biggar (Wales)
Nigel Owens Said: "Oh god yes. He's so focused and so passionate about what he's doing, we've had a few run ins on the pitch down the years when keeps talking. I mean, it's always been in a respectful way as we always have a drink and a laugh after the game."
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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