FRIENDLY FIRE IS what Mike McCarthy refers to it as.
He sits back for a second and visualises the moment of impact.
“Jack McGrath’s head. It’s a big collision, isn’t it? I hit the top of his head and the skull is obviously thicker up there. I got a kind of boxing hit, so it’s more of a whiplash thing.”
With an hour gone at the Stade de France, Ireland were six points clear of the hosts in their second RBS Six Nations game.
As the French looked to make a line break, McCarthy went to shut down full-back Maxime Medard. But so did McGrath. As McCarthy wrapped his arms around the attacker, he collided with his team-mate and came off second best. It was a sickening clash.
Within minutes, he was fitted with a neck brace and carried off on a stretcher. Inevitably, there was plenty of concern. Subsequently, his concussion was deemed severe enough for him to miss the remainder of the championship.
Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
But the Leinster second-row was lucky.
“I remember the whole game”, he says.
“I actually remember going in for the tackle so I don’t have that much of a mind blank. What concussions I have had in the past , I’ve had no symptoms afterwards so that’s a big positive. I was absolutely grand. No headaches, no sensitivity to light, no drowsiness. We do have tests.”
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Shortly after leaving the pitch, his first instinct was to contact his family and let them know he was okay. Only married for eighteen months, his wife Jessica, was understandably worried.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“My Mum was actually worse. The wife…she wasn’t too bad. Well, she was. When you come away with a little scratch or whatever it is, your family is always concerned. But I rang my Mum and my missus within five or ten minutes of going off. My Mum was just pleased to hear my voice.”
McCarthy trusted the medical advice but it didn’t make it any less frustrating to be a spectator when there was still so much rugby left to play.
“It’s annoying I’m out for the rest of the season now because I feel good. The Leinster medical team and the IRFU have really looked after me and taken good care of me. It is frustrating. I was dying to be out there for the Connacht game. Watching it, I was just itching to be out there. But it’s not to be and you’ve got to do as you’re told. And it’s about looking forward to next season now.
Maybe I’d accept it more if I was in a cast but you just have to take the advice. The first few weeks, especially when the lads were still playing, were frustrating. Watching that Connacht game last weekend…those derby games – Connacht away, Munster at the Aviva with a big crowd – I’d love to have be involved. But I’ve accepted now that I’m out for the season and I just have to work hard. It was great to be back out on the pitch doing some non-contact stuff the other day – it brought a bit of a smile to my face. It got me out of the gym and away from the rower and the watt bike.”
Concussion is a hot topic. Everyone’s got something to say about it. In the immediate aftermath of McCarthy’s incident, his Leinster team-mate Hayden Triggs admitted to being ‘scared’ by the rise in head-related injuries.
Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
“When I saw Macca go down and for him to go off on a stretcher…that’s scary”, Triggs said.
“I’ve got kids. I’ve got a wife. I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t always think about it. But when I see Macca I think ‘Shit, man.”
What’s the players’ perspective? Is it getting a little frustrating, having to answer the same questions repeatedly?
“Maybe a bit”, McCarthy admits.
“But it’s good that it’s being highlighted. It means people are aware of it. We get the best attention, the best medical care so we’re in a great place. It’s part and parcel of playing professionally. People will have their opinions but I’m happy taking the opinions of the medics and I’m being well looked after.”
McCarthy has had concussions before but this one was particularly brutal. Afterwards, rather inevitably, he did take a moment to size up what had happened. But, he trusts the medical personnel around him and he’s already back training and preparing for next season.
Ahead of Saturday's clash with Munster, Life Style Sports and Leinster Rugby brought Dublin's most loved statues to life as glowing champions for the team. Pictured here is Mike McCarthy, Ian Madigan and Jack Conan.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“When you’re out cold, it’s probably slightly bigger than the other ones”, he says.
“There’s an interesting stat from IRUPA (Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association) that only 10% of concussions result in being out cold. So maybe it was a big one.
Obviously when you get knocked out, you have a think about it afterwards. But I’ve had no symptoms and I’ve seen a few good specialists and the advice is ‘have a break and you’ll be fully fit when you come back’. I’m looking forward to coming back and I want to come back and I will come back.
I’ve been to specialists and passed all my tests. After the France game, I was training. It was small steps but I got to the stage where I was doing weights and fitness at the normal level within a few days. I took a two-week break and thoroughly enjoyed it but I’m back working hard. I had a pretty grim rowing session with Jack Conan earlier so it’s all good.”
At 34, has the missus had a quiet word yet about him leaving all the concussions and neck braces and stretchers behind?
“She knows I’m an old man now – I have been for about the last four years, I suppose. The body feels great, to be honest. I’m certainly hoping to play for another two or three years.”
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'It's a big collision, isn't it?': Mike McCarthy on that hit and his severe concussion
FRIENDLY FIRE IS what Mike McCarthy refers to it as.
He sits back for a second and visualises the moment of impact.
“Jack McGrath’s head. It’s a big collision, isn’t it? I hit the top of his head and the skull is obviously thicker up there. I got a kind of boxing hit, so it’s more of a whiplash thing.”
With an hour gone at the Stade de France, Ireland were six points clear of the hosts in their second RBS Six Nations game.
As the French looked to make a line break, McCarthy went to shut down full-back Maxime Medard. But so did McGrath. As McCarthy wrapped his arms around the attacker, he collided with his team-mate and came off second best. It was a sickening clash.
Within minutes, he was fitted with a neck brace and carried off on a stretcher. Inevitably, there was plenty of concern. Subsequently, his concussion was deemed severe enough for him to miss the remainder of the championship.
But the Leinster second-row was lucky.
“I remember the whole game”, he says.
“I actually remember going in for the tackle so I don’t have that much of a mind blank. What concussions I have had in the past , I’ve had no symptoms afterwards so that’s a big positive. I was absolutely grand. No headaches, no sensitivity to light, no drowsiness. We do have tests.”
Shortly after leaving the pitch, his first instinct was to contact his family and let them know he was okay. Only married for eighteen months, his wife Jessica, was understandably worried.
“My Mum was actually worse. The wife…she wasn’t too bad. Well, she was. When you come away with a little scratch or whatever it is, your family is always concerned. But I rang my Mum and my missus within five or ten minutes of going off. My Mum was just pleased to hear my voice.”
McCarthy trusted the medical advice but it didn’t make it any less frustrating to be a spectator when there was still so much rugby left to play.
“It’s annoying I’m out for the rest of the season now because I feel good. The Leinster medical team and the IRFU have really looked after me and taken good care of me. It is frustrating. I was dying to be out there for the Connacht game. Watching it, I was just itching to be out there. But it’s not to be and you’ve got to do as you’re told. And it’s about looking forward to next season now.
Concussion is a hot topic. Everyone’s got something to say about it. In the immediate aftermath of McCarthy’s incident, his Leinster team-mate Hayden Triggs admitted to being ‘scared’ by the rise in head-related injuries.
“When I saw Macca go down and for him to go off on a stretcher…that’s scary”, Triggs said.
“I’ve got kids. I’ve got a wife. I don’t want that to happen to me. I don’t always think about it. But when I see Macca I think ‘Shit, man.”
What’s the players’ perspective? Is it getting a little frustrating, having to answer the same questions repeatedly?
“Maybe a bit”, McCarthy admits.
“But it’s good that it’s being highlighted. It means people are aware of it. We get the best attention, the best medical care so we’re in a great place. It’s part and parcel of playing professionally. People will have their opinions but I’m happy taking the opinions of the medics and I’m being well looked after.”
McCarthy has had concussions before but this one was particularly brutal. Afterwards, rather inevitably, he did take a moment to size up what had happened. But, he trusts the medical personnel around him and he’s already back training and preparing for next season.
“When you’re out cold, it’s probably slightly bigger than the other ones”, he says.
“There’s an interesting stat from IRUPA (Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association) that only 10% of concussions result in being out cold. So maybe it was a big one.
I’ve been to specialists and passed all my tests. After the France game, I was training. It was small steps but I got to the stage where I was doing weights and fitness at the normal level within a few days. I took a two-week break and thoroughly enjoyed it but I’m back working hard. I had a pretty grim rowing session with Jack Conan earlier so it’s all good.”
At 34, has the missus had a quiet word yet about him leaving all the concussions and neck braces and stretchers behind?
“She knows I’m an old man now – I have been for about the last four years, I suppose. The body feels great, to be honest. I’m certainly hoping to play for another two or three years.”
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Against the head Ireland Leinster Mike McCarthy RBS 6 Nations