LEINSTER AND IRELAND forward Mike McCarthy will leave the club to join French Pro D2 side Racing Club de Narbonne.
In an announcement on their official Facebook page this afternoon, the club say the 35-year old has signed on for two seasons.
The moves follows Leinster’s signing of versatile Australian forward Scott Fardy last week.
McCarthy moved to Leinster in 2013 following stints with Wasps, Newcastle and Connacht twice. He has made 75 appearances for the Blues.
Speaking after the announcement was made this afternoon McCarthy said:
“I have loved my time in Leinster Rugby and am very grateful for my time here.
“But this is an excellent opportunity for me and for my young family and I am really excited for the challenge with Narbonne. There is a lot of ambition amongst the president and coaching team to rebuild this historic club and I’m really looking forward to playing a part in achieving this.
However, firstly I’m focused on a big end of season with Leinster and hopefully repaying the Club and the supporters with some silverware.
“We are in a really good place on two fronts and I look forward to contributing over the next few months and finishing out as strongly as possible.”
Capable of playing in either the second or back row, McCarthy won 19 Ireland caps, scoring three times.
Narbonne sit 11th in the Pro D2, 12 points above the relegation zone.
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