IT’S PROVING TO be a very encouraging season for Joe McCarthy. The Leinster lock featured twice for Ireland at last year’s World Cup and since returning to club duty he’s further underlined his quality with a series of impressive displays in the blue of Leinster.
The 22-year-old has started seven games for the province this season, leaving him already just one cap short of his previous season-best (2021/22). Delivering standout displays against La Rochelle and Munster in recent months, he was a safe bet for inclusion in Andy Farrell’s 34-man Six Nations squad named earlier this week.
McCarthy is still raw in some aspects of his game but will be close to pushing for a place in Farrell’s starting team on the back of his eye-catching run of form.
“It has been brilliant. I probably didn’t have much of that (consistent gametime) last season,” McCarthy says.
“Getting to play a lot is amazing. Every week I feel I’m building more confidence and improving every performance. I think everyone feels a lot better once you get a good run of games, it’s really the key.”
Farrell is clearly a big fan of the former Blackrock College student, having first called him into camp during the 2022 Six Nations when McCarthy was still an Academy player with just a handful of Leinster caps to his name.
He’s since been capped five times at Test level and has a World Cup under his belt – going the full 80 on a try-scoring display against Romania before a 22-minute outing against New Zealand in the quarter-finals.
“I’d say I probably learnt a lot of things from the World Cup pre-season camp and going through the whole experience where I didn’t even realise what I had picked up, but I’ve definitely improved as a player.
“I feel like I’ve gone up another level. Just taking a lot of learnings and trained a lot.”
McCarthy’s strong run of form with Leinster has coincided with the arrival of Jacques Nienaber as the province’s new assistant coach.
“I’ve chatted to him a good bit now. It’s great, he has settled in very well. I’ve had a good few chats with him. He’s super insightful, the amount he has gone through. He’s a very interesting character, you could listen to him all day.”
The Leinster players have been glowing in their reviews of the two-time World Cup winner’s work on the training ground and McCarthy feels he’s well-suited to the aggressive style of defence favoured by Nienaber.
Pressurise the other team, I love to do that. I’d say it suits some of my strengths, but I’ve enjoyed the new system and things that he can bring.
“Obviously we’re quite aggressive going after teams, pressurising the ruck, trying to slow down the opposition. There’s a few smaller system things, a lot of it is work-rate as well. There’s a lot of things, but basically just be physical and try to mess up the other team.
“It definitely feels different (to the previous defensive system). Training probably looks a bit different.
“You might have guys who were a small bit hesitant at the start. Some guys were fully committed and other guys were still in old habits, which just takes a bit of time to train out. We’re working on it every day in training and every match, and reviewing it. Habits are starting to stick a bit better now.”
McCarthy has been working closely on improving his work around the lineout this season but his physicality has proved a major point of difference – the 6’6″, 112kg lock engaging in a number of memorable battles this season, including an entertaining head-to-head with Munster’s Edwin Edogbo on St Stephen’s Day.
“I love the physical aspect of the game. I probably would have enjoyed that all the way up from school, the physical aspect, hitting into things. I love that aspect of the game.
Getting stuck in as much as possible, win every battle you get into, get into as many battles as you can and try and win as many of those over the course of the game.”
Tomorrow Leinster head to Welford Road for a Champions Cup clash with Leicester. The province are already qualified for the knock-outs but want to solidify their place and secure home advantage. For McCarthy, it’s also a return to the scene of his Champions Cup debut – playing four minutes off the bench in Leinster’s 23-14 quarter-final win in 2022.
“I was quite nervous for the game because it was a very good squad. I suppose it’s a good experience for now. When you go over there, the changing rooms are kind of like a shoe box, the away changing room over there. Got that whole experience, the crowd is hostile. All the prep that went into the game, the atmosphere and feel of it. Probably sets us up well hopefully for this weekend.
“I think you can see they are a pretty proud club, I would have known from when I was younger they were a very successful club.
“You had the Tuilagis there. I remember watching loads of clips when I was a kid down at Leinster watching Leicester, obviously Leo Cullen was a player there, won the Premiership with them.
“I just know they are a really proud club, know they pride themselves on the set-piece and they will definitely be hurting after that last loss (against La Rochelle) and there will be a big reaction.
“Jacques was talking about when he was with Munster and they beat them well at home, and they lost the next time they played. They are definitely a team that are very proud of their history in their club so I am sure they will be coming all guns blazing on us.”
