Joe McCarthy exceeding expectations in rise to the top

If Leinster had not scored nine tries that all needed detailing in the match report of their trip to Benetton earlier this month, a spark in the 53rd minute would have demanded more column inches.
Twenty-year-old lock Joe McCarthy carried, sharply stepped a defender before throwing a deft offload to keep the break alive. It wasn’t the only line break the Trinity man made. In all, he made 50 carrying metres on the day, a decent shift for his position.
Leinster have become used to producing athletic locks, James Ryan and Ryan Baird among them. Yet the conversation around Leinster and Ireland’s secondrow play is the need for a specific bruising lock, the big athlete in the five shirt to scrum hard behind the tighthead prop, smash rucks and be a dog in the close exchanges.
For all his ability in terms of ball skills, McCarthy has been earmarked for that role. Listed at a hair under 120kg on Leinster’s website, he c …

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