THE LAST TIME Leinster and Munster went toe-to-toe, Leo Cullen singled out second row Joe McCarthy for special praise following a hard earned 20-19 win for his team down at Thomond Park.

“I thought Joe was very good in terms of his physicality,” Cullen remarked of the then-21-year-old. “He throws himself into everything.”

That was December. Five months down the line, McCarthy reflects on one the highpoints of his season ahead of the latest installment of the Leinster v Munster rivalry this weekend.

“That was a class experience. A packed Thomond Park has that hostile environment away from home (atmosphere). It was quite like a chess match of a game… Maybe who blinks first there. You definitely learn a lot from that in terms of trying to stay calm and nail the important moments. You take a lot of confidence in being able to close out a tight game like that.”

McCarthy surely takes confidence from the words of encouragement coming his way from Cullen, too. A second row in his own playing days, Cullen knows what it takes to make a difference in the engine room, and in McCarthy, he’s got one of the most exciting young locks around on his hands.

“He’s just very interesting to talk to,” McCarthy says of his head coach.

“He’s played with so many different players. Even when he went over to Leicester, they were hugely successful back (then) – they still are. So you definitely pick up things from Leo and especially at the lineout because lineout calling was his thing. He would be very sharp in those things.

“Probably the area we’re all focusing on is being good around the contact areas. Being really physical in contact around the breakdown. Towards the knockout games, that’s where you see those games won and lost. Teams and athletes get bigger so one v one contacts are a big focus.”

That particular department has fallen under the watch of Sean O’Brien this season, the former Leinster and Ireland flanker taking on the role of contact skills coach following Denis Leamy’s switch to Munster last summer.

McCarthy impressed against Munster in December. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

“Sean O’Brien has been great for the contact,” McCarthy continues. “We try to be really smart in how we do things around the breakdown and the ruck. We try to push the boundaries but I think we’re very smart in how we pick and choose our moments, we don’t try to go outside the system. That’s very important in big games.”

They don’t get much bigger than a knockout game against Munster, even with a Champions Cup final around the corner. With Leinster set to rotate their squad again for this URC semi-final clash at Aviva Stadium, those who take the pitch on Saturday won’t be short on motivation. 

For McCarthy, every game at this stage of the season is a chance to make up for lost time. Last weekend’s quarter-final defeat of the Sharks was his first appearance since January, having sat out the Six Nations and early stages of the URC/Champions Cup run in with an ankle issue that required surgery. 

“It’s tough. All the (other) lads get opportunities to get a go. Usually, I have pretty strong confidence in my ability. Once I get back playing, I’ll be all right as soon as you can gain control. So I’ll go work hard in the gym and try to put myself in the best position as possible to perform when I get the chance.

“I suppose you can take a positive out of it maybe. You get a bit of rest but I just want to play as much as possible to be honest. I feel like I’ve a lot of areas to improve and want to play all the time. It is where you get better, playing proper games so yeah, I suppose you can look at it as a benefit, a bit of time to develop off the pitch. You have to keep developing the athleticism, but I think the best thing for me is to get out playing.”

McCarthy knows that while a good performance this weekend is unlikely to push him into the mix for La Rochelle, it would give him a strong chance of being involved in the URC final, should Leinster get the job done against Munster.

Speaking in a media room at Leinster’s UCD base, McCarthy swivels his chair to the left and takes a look at a gleaming trophy cabinet.

“Some guys get asked what drive them. The common answer pretty much is to win trophies. That’s when you get the best experience, winning trophies with a team.

“I get a bit of stick from my brother. He’s won a Senior Cup and stuff… So yeah, it’s definitely a huge drive for me and I’ll try contribute as much as I can.”

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