Confirming the pending international departures of rugby greats Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahony and Cian Healy was classy planning on Ireland's part.
By announcing the retirements last week, Ireland set up the trio to be celebrated appropriately in their last home appearance in Dublin this Saturday, and minimized the emotional distraction in the buildup to playing a formidable France in the title-swaying clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Six Nations.
Murray, O'Mahony, and Healy — who have played international rugby together for 13 years — are being team players to the end.
Their ultimate hope is, whatever the outcome against France, the end of their international careers will come in Rome against Italy next week with a third successive Six Nations title.
“They're not the type of players that would want it to ever be about them,” Ireland interim coach Simon Easterby said. “But we want to mark the occasion with the respect and the performance that it deserves for them, and they want to do the same.”
Healy backed up the sentiment.
“Just because I've decided to retire doesn't mean I'm starting to think about the past,” he said. “I'm here to do a job and ideally that job is two more wins and lift a trophy.”
Trophy or not, the 37-year-old loosehead prop will retire as Ireland's most decorated player. Healy is the caps record-holder for Ireland (136) and Leinster (237), and has won five Six Nations titles, four European Cups and seven United Rugby Championships.
His career was already stellar when he signed retirement papers in the summer of 2015. A neck injury led to surgery which caused complications; he was unable to use his right hand. But when feeling in the hand began coming back, he didn't file the papers. Three months later he was playing in the second of his three Rugby World Cups. There would have been a fourth World Cup, in 2023, but he injured a leg in the last warmup.
Healy had been with Ireland for two years when Murray was introduced in the warmups for the 2011 World Cup. By the end of the tournament in New Zealand he was the starting scrumhalf and returned home to unexpected recognition.
“At the time,” the 35-year-old said, “I was just thinking, ‘This is crazy. Enjoy it.’”
World Rugby recognized him as the best scrumhalf in its team of the decade, from 2010-19. Murray was Ireland's No. 1 until 2021 but still went on his third Lions tour that year as the backup skipper in South Africa.
He's also been to four World Cups and amassed 123 test caps for Ireland, adding, “I had the best days of my life in a green jersey.”
O'Mahony considered retiring a year ago after he captained Ireland to Six Nations glory, followed by a series draw in South Africa.
“My big litmus test was whether I was capable of continuing to play for Ireland,” the 35-year-old flanker said. “I'm glad I made the call. I'm happy with the decision now. I'm at peace.”
His leadership qualities go back to school days. As a pro, he's led Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. He debuted off the bench in 2012 against Italy, and 112 caps later proved he's still got it against Wales in Cardiff two weeks ago when he played his first full 80-minute test in 16 months.
He was sore for several days but “I loved the fact I got 80," he said. "I enjoyed every minute of it. It was an unbelievably difficult test match but I felt great after.”
The trio's combined 371 caps are littered with some of Ireland's greatest moments. Outside of the Six Nations, there was beating the All Blacks for the first time in Chicago, historic series wins in New Zealand and Australia, and rare wins in South Africa.
“The team understand the impact that the three lads have had on Irish rugby,” Easterby said. “They've all become very close; they're not just Irish teammates but good friends. The mark of respect and the motivation is they and the rest of the team want to finish this tournament on a high. All they've ever thought about is the team and what's going to make us the best we can be on Saturday.”
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
FILE - Ireland's Cian Healy runs during the Six Nations rugby union international between Ireland and Wales at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
FILE - Ireland's Peter O'Mahony in action during the Six Nations rugby union match between Ireland and Wales at the Aviva stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
FILE - Ireland's Conor Murray during the Six Nations rugby union international match between Wales and Ireland at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
