AS THE IRISH PLAYERS trudged off the rain-slickened pitch at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, Mike McCarthy was one of the few men to walk tall and offer words, and embraces, of solace after a done almost done.
Considering that the Irish lock had just returned from four weeks out of action and had thundered into a gargantuan French pack, it was a remarkable feat.
“It was tough,” McCarthy admits. “To be honest, I was blowing a bit there at the end. I was out for four weeks and only running for a week but, as the game went on, I got my second wind and started to find it, not easy but easier.
“I’ve got that 80 minutes under my belt and it will give me confidence going into this weekend.”
Having just returned from a knee injury that threatened to curtail his Six Nations, it was surprising that McCarthy was on the pitch and committing himself to tackles as the clock ticked 80 minutes and beyond.
Donnacha Ryan’s shoulder injury forced Declan Kidney’s hand and there were familiar faces in unfamiliar positions near the end – Sean Cronin [hooker] on for Eoin Reddan [scrum-half] and, Ian Madigan at inside centre Conor Murray out on the wing.
McCarthy told TheScore.ie, “In every Six Nations match, in every international, I have played for Ireland, there is a sense of desperation in the final 20 minutes. It’s such close margins and you’re putting your bodies on the line but that’s what Test rugby is.”
No illusions
The downbeat feeling in the dressing room made it feel like a loss, McCarthy confesses, but Ireland are taking positives from the 13-13 draw.
From the team review of the 12-6 loss to England, McCarthy reveals the team came up with an effective play to play in damp conditions.
The common theme, stemming back well over a year, has been Ireland’s inability to build on good starts in second halves. McCarthy said:
We’ve got to go out thinking it’s 0-0. Go out there, keep playing and doing what we were doing in the first half. The onus is on the players to close these games out.”
The Connacht lock, Leinster bound in the summer, is relishing the challenge of testing himself against the Italian pack for the first time.
He said, “They’ve a very big pack. Most of their game is based around their scrum and their maul, and lineouts. It will be a huge, physical challenge.”
“Looking at their game against England [Italy lost 18-11],” McCarthy added, “I don’t think anybody was surprised how close it was. They’ve improved massively in the last few years.
“They’re big, dogged, tenacious and work hard for each other. They outscored Italy one try to none on their home patch. We’re under no illusions about how hard it will be in the last game, away to Italy.”
McCarthy and the famous green mic. (Credit: TheScore.ie)
The Italians enjoyed 65% possession and 71% territory in the second-half at Twickenham yet could not pierce the English defensive lines in the final 20 minutes. Once again, the team without the lion's share of the ball won a game.
"I'm not sure if the game is going back to what it was like between 2007 and 2009," said McCarthy, "but defence is key and it seems to be the best form of attack for some teams. If you make a mistake with the ball, especially at Test match level, you get punished for it."
Late bloomer
McCarthy, 31, made his Ireland debut as a flanker, away to Scotland, just before the 2011 World Cup. A second cap in his preferred position of lock came a fortnight later but there was no flight to New Zealand.
Paul O'Connell's knee injury in last year's Six Nations led to a recall but Ulster's Dan Tuohy deputised on the summer tour against the All Blacks. His first start as lock came against South Africa last November and a man-of-the-match performance signalled an intent to stick around.
He admits that his Ireland breakthrough, from an entirely subjective viewpoint, was a long time coming. McCarthy said:
I thought, maybe my chance was gone but I got my opportunity and I'm treating every week like it might be my last chance."
There is a lot of goodwill towards McCarthy and his second row partner, Ryan, but a defeat to Italy and a 'one win' campaign would place question marks over the majority of the squad.
An away win is essential and McCarthy will put in another 80-minute, desperation and all, if called upon to repel an Italian team determined to make their mark.
