A visibly emotional Peter O’Mahony spoke passionately after Ireland held off a ferocious All Blacks fightback to claim a sensational, unprecedented 2-1 series win in New Zealand.
Players and backroom staff went up to the back-rower, put their arms around him as he struggled to control his emotions.
“Hard to put into words, really,” said O’Mahony in his post-match interview. “That [the crowd noise] says a lot, behind me. You know, it’s never been done before – to win here, to get a series win.
“It probably wasn’t something you thought about, as a young fella. But now, there will be young fellas at home who will dreaming of playing for Ireland and winning over here.
“It will have been done before. It won’t be the task that it was. It will never been taken away from that group. That they are the first to do it. Not only one win, but to win a series here.”
He later was spotted saying to a teammate: “I can’t believe I cried on TV”.