Peter O'Mahony says he was not particularly surprised to see his Munster team-mate Conor Murray elevated to the Lions captaincy over the weekend and insists he will be well suited to the role.
The Ireland scrum-half was named Lions captain at the weekend after injury forced the original skipper, Alun Wyn Jones, to withdraw from the series.
O'Mahony was the most recent Irishman to captain the Lions in a test match when he led the side out for the first test against New Zealand in Auckland in 2017, the Corkman stepping into the role after tour captain Sam Warburton was dropped for Sean O'Brien.
In O'Mahony's estimation, Murray's huge experience after touring with the Lions in 2013 and 2017 will stand him in good stead.
"I'm delighted for him," O’Mahony said. "The Lions are a special entity. It’s a huge honour for Conor.
"No better man, how many years has he been around? The big games that he has played, the experience he has in terms of being on his third tour is proper legend stuff.
"He keeps driving to be better. The work that fella puts in is incredible and I am delighted for him.
Asked what captaincy advice he has to impart to Murray, O'Mahony responds curtly "he's well able."
The reaction of the UK press, in particular, to Murray's appointment was one of surprise, with many reporters expressing bemusement that the likes of Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje had been overlooked.
But O'Mahony insists he wasn't surprised to learn of Gatland's call.
"It’s his third tour, d'you know what I mean? He has an incredible amount of caps for them already, incredible amount of international caps, incredible amount of experience, so why not? I think it's a great appointment."
Conor Murray says that while he has learned a lot from Rory Best, Paul O'Connell and Peter O'Mahony, he will have his own style as #LionsRugby tour captain pic.twitter.com/KhHqpHzegs
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) June 29, 2021
Amid a youthful and new-look Ireland squad for the upcoming games against Japan and USA, O'Mahony, a few months shy of his 32nd birthday, is by far the most experienced member of the set-up this month.
Along with the exodus to the Lions, other experienced figures like Johnny Sexton, Keith Earls and Cian Healy have been given a rest for the summer.
"I didn't play a huge amount of rugby in the Six Nations. So, I was delighted to be selected and given another chance to play in an Irish jersey," he said.
"I was keen to be involved, I haven't played a huge amount in the Six Nations. Happy enough to be here.
"For those guys, it's a good call from their part. I'm sure there's a part of them that would want to be here. You want to be playing. It's a special place, being in camp is incredibly enjoyable. Those guys always lead the charge in terms of driving the enjoyment in the camp.
"It's good for them to get a rest though. Look after their bodies, there's plenty of rugby left in them. It's no harm."
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