HE WAS FORCED to bide his time before eventually getting his season up and running, but the past few weeks has seen Joe McCarthy settling back into life as part of Leinster’s second row.

Following a foot injury sustained in the British & Irish Lions’ opening test during last summer’s tour of Australia on 19 July, McCarthy found himself marked absent for the opening six rounds Leinster played in the 2025/26 edition of the United Rugby Championship.

He also missed out on the four fixtures Ireland played during the November international window, but the 24-year-old finally made his seasonal return to action when Leinster welcomed Harlequins to the Aviva Stadium in Pool Three of the European Champions Cup on 6 December.

He hasn’t missed a game since that comeback appearance with four additional starts being supplemented by an outing off the bench against Ulster in the URC last month. Considering a sizable chunk of the squad already had a number of games under their belt, McCarthy was eager to get himself up to speed as quickly as possible upon his return to the fold.

“Especially if lads have been going through a tough block of games, you want to bring freshness. A bit of energy. You get excited when guys haven’t played for a bit of time. I think you want to add to the team as well when you’re out. Show that you make a difference and care a lot about the team,” McCarthy remarked at a Leinster media briefing earlier this week.

“I’ve loved the games, it’s been really enjoyable. We’ve had some tight games and we wish that they were a bit more comfortable, but I’ve actually loved playing every week. We’ve had tough games to dig in and there is good character in the team.

“There is a real good feel around the place. Obviously it helps when you’re winning. I’ve really enjoyed playing, I’m really enjoying my rugby at the moment.”

While McCarthy is fully fit and available for Leinster’s final Champions Cup pool stage encounter away to Bayonne on Saturday, his younger brother Paddy looks set to miss out on selection.

Withdrawn 43 minutes into last weekend’s nail-biting European victory over La Rochelle, Paddy was listed amongst those who required further assessment in Leinster’s squad bulletin on Monday. However, it also stated he was dealing with a ‘significant foot injury’ and his elder sibling confirmed he could be in line for an extended spell on the sidelines.

After featuring alongside him on five occasions since his own return to the fray, Joe is understandably disappointed his brother won’t be seeing action over the next while.

“It doesn’t look great, to be honest. It looks like it’s not going to be a quick turnaround. Gutted for him because he has been on a great roll. He has had a great start to the season. More so from a team perspective, I think we’ll really miss him definitely over the next few weeks or months.

“Gutted for that, I’ll miss playing with him. I won’t have him as a roomie over at Bayonne now this week. It was really cool because we never really got a run together of a few games. We’d always been injured or maybe he was [with the] U20s or whatever. It was great.

“I think we definitely play better together. We’re preparing the game together, driving together. I really enjoy playing with him. I feel like I lift my game, maybe his as well. We’ll definitely miss him now.”

Given the calf injury picked up by Andrew Porter in training last week could also prove to be more than just a short-term issue, this leaves Leinster light on loosehead props ahead of their upcoming visit to Bayonne.

The prospect of Jack Boyle’s imminent return from a shoulder problem is welcome news for both Leinster and Ireland – with the Six Nations Championship in mind for the latter – but there is another player Blues head coach Leo Cullen can call upon.

Signed by the eastern province on a short-term deal in September, Jerry Cahir replaced Paddy McCarthy in the Aviva last weekend on what was his fourth appearance overall for Leinster.

An All-Ireland League front-row with Old Belvedere, Dublin University and Lansdowne in recent times, Cahir hasn’t looked out of place in professional rugby and the elder McCarthy heaped praise on his former club-mate for the way he has performed in the blue of Leinster.

“He’s incredible. He’s seriously strong, proper strength. I played with him in Trinity [Dublin University], so resilient. He didn’t come through any academies, just Trinity and Lansdowne. He’s such a dedicated guy. Always wanted a shot, always wanted to get going,” McCarthy added.

“He really wanted to get capped for the province, he didn’t know when it would happen. He’s awesome. The lads love him as well. He’s a great fella, real humble. He probably doesn’t even realise how good he is. He’s class.”