THE MOST IMPRESSIVE player for the Ireland U20s? Take your pick.
Out-half Sam Prendergast has generated huge excitement this year, having also made his senior debut for Leinster, while Munster back row Brian Gleeson has been in barnstorming form and is underage again next year.
Then there’s another Munster man in Ruadhan Quinn, the irrepressible captain Gus McCarthy of Leinster, and brilliant backs like Connacht centre John Devine.
But speaking on today’s Rugby Weekly Extra, a podcast for subscribers to The 42, former Ireland and Melbourne Rebels performance analyst Eoin Toolan picked out Ireland loosehead prop Paddy McCarthy, the younger brother of Ireland and Leinster lock Joe.
Paddy has been added to Leinster’s academy and after playing tighthead as Ireland won a Grand Slam earlier this year, has shown his quality on other side of the scrum as Richie Murphy’s team have earned a place in Friday’s World Championship final.
“His strip on the South African second row in the semi-final, his counter-ruck that has blown up on social media… McCarthy, for me, is probably the standout player,” said Toolan.
“There was one moment in the first half where Ireland had a left-hand scrum exit and it was a really powerful scrum from Ireland, then a two-phase play where they go to kick long and it’s McCarthy who leads the kick chase and makes the tackle on the South African fullback.
“So clearly he not only has power in terms of the set-piece ability and contact skills but he’s got an engine that kinda reminds me of a Tadhg Furlong-type of player.
“There’s obviously lots of hype around Gleeson, Prendergast, who was brilliant with his kick passing in the semi-final, but I think Paddy McCarthy as a loosehead has a massive future in the game for Ireland.”
While individuals like McCarthy have shone, Toolan has also been impressed at how connected and collective the Irish performances have been in South Africa.
“I looked at the statistics across the competition and Ireland are unremarkable across all the major metrics, I don’t think they feature in the top three or four,” said Toolan, who also worked with the Kintetsu Liners in Japan.
“The players are intuitive and can play what they see. There’s not one area of the game where you think they’re super-dominant compared to the rest of the competition but they do everything well.
“They have the understanding, the IP, the scanning patterns, like Prendergast with those two kick passes for the tries against South Africa, but even the positioning of James Nicholson to hold his width, understanding that South Africa play that narrow-and-in defence, that’s a great way to exploit it.”
Former Ireland senior assistant coach Richie Murphy has been a key figure in this Irish team’s success, leading them to back-to-back Grand Slams and now this World Championship final.
Murphy has been an unheralded influence in Irish rugby in the past but Toolan hopes his success with the U20s will lead to an even more important role with one of the Irish provinces.
“We go a long way back, he was my U13s coach in St Gerard’s School when he was still playing for Leinster,” said Toolan.
“I remember he gave me his first pair of Predator boots, which was a massive kick for a 12-year-old. I ended up going on to make my senior debut with him at Greystones, played a couple of seasons of AIL with him, then he went to Wicklow and I played against him. Played against him in Belvo. Worked with him in the Leinster U20s set-up.
“We’ve had a strong link for a long, long time in the game. Even as a player, he was always a step ahead. His kick execution, his ability to manage the field, identify space, he was brilliant off the tee.
“He was a quality player and he has made that transition into coach. He made a big call to step away from the senior national team to get that opportunity as a head coach, which I’m not sure a lot of coaches would do.
“It has paid off for him, his reputation is enhanced. It’s exactly the profile of coach that deserves a pathway in the professional game in Ireland. He has clearly moulded the U20s team together, they’re playing a good brand of rugby, and you hope he gets the rewards he deserves.”
Elsewhere on today’s edition of Rugby Weekly Extra, host Murray Kinsella and Toolan dug into last weekend’s opening round of the Rugby Championship, where South Africa and New Zealand made dominant starts against poor Australia and Argentina teams.
Toolan and Kinsella also discussed Johnny Sexton’s disciplinary hearing tomorrow as he faces a potential ban for his alleged behaviour towards referee Jaco Peyper after Leinster’s defeat to La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.
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