CONNACHT COACH ANDY Friend said it was a good call by the Irish management to release Jack Carty to play in last weekend’s clash against Scarlets as the out-half is now fired-up if called upon against Italy on Sunday.

Carty’s international exile after almost two and a half years ended in Paris but he only got 90 seconds off the bench, but he turned in a superb display and kicked 14 points as Connacht beat Scarlets 29-23 at the weekend.

“I thought it was really important for him and for us, too,” said Friend about Andy Farrell’s decision to release him. “Jack came back in quite seamlessly, he was our captain at the weekend and I thought he controlled the game beautifully for us.

I know Andy Farrell is keen to make sure that he got game time, and pretty much straight after that France game he contacted us to say, ‘If we release Jack, will you use him?’ And it was, ’100% we’ll use him’, as we’ll use Dave Heffernan or any of those boys if we can get them for a week of training.

“It was a good call by Andy’s team to release Jack and I thought Jack and Heff used their time very wisely, they both put in really good shifts.

I’d love to see him in that 23 again, I’d love to see him get more minutes. I thought Joey Carbery did a really good job in the France game and Johnny Sexton was really good the weekend before. It was hard for Jack Carty to come on with 90 seconds remaining but I believe that was a forced substitution.

“He was brilliant for us on the weekend, I thought the way he controlled the game was excellent and that’s all he can do at the moment.”

Friend last week set a target of six wins from their remaining eight games and he wants them to push on from that first ever win at Parc y Scarlets when they entertain the Stormers this weekend.

He will be boosted by the return from injury of prop Denis Buckley, lock Oisin Dowling and flanker Conor Oliver but it remains to be seen if second row Leva Fafita, who was sent off after picking up two yellow cards against Scarlets, is available, with the URC stating yesterday that a disciplinary procedure is being finalised.

“At the time I thought it was a very harsh call and I still think it was a very harsh call,” added Friend about the dismissal of the Tongan international.

“We’ll leave that up to the powers that be to make their decision, we’ve heard nothing back from the URC but hopefully we’ll get something official and we’ll try to share that with the players.

“If they deem that to be a red card, well that makes it very tricky, I believe, but hopefully we will get something back that will give us more clarity.”