Saturday will be the biggest test of the 23-year-old lock’s young international career. When McCarthy was being interviewed by press during this year’s, he was asked about the reasons for his success so far in the campaign. “Because he’s f**king massive!” came the supportive response from a passing team-mate who overheard the conversation.
McCarthy is comfortably Ireland’s best secondrow when it comes to carrying through heavy traffic, utilising his combination of size, footwork and all-round athleticism.– “Big Joe” recorded the highest rate of dominant carries both in the recent Six Nations and in this year’s domestic action . Sticking with domestic games for Leinster, a larger sample size, McCarthy was also the best Irish lock at breaking the gainline and at drawing in more than two defenders .
In this year’s club action, of Ireland’s trio of locks, McCarthy is the least effective at clearing out rucks. Eighty-two per cent of his breakdown arrivals for Leinster this season, in URC and European action, have been positive. Ryan’s figure is 93 per cent, while Beirne’s is 94. Ryan is on the bench on Saturday. McCarthy starts alongside Beirne.
He is exactly what Ireland have needed in the engine room for awhile, and especially important against a team like the Boks. He is real a momentum stopper.In advance of this Ireland tour, former Munster hooker Jerry Flannery joined the ‘Boks as defence coach, replacing Nienaber. Having worked with his predecessor when both were at Munster, Flannery has previously said that Nienaber was the best coach he worked with.
This was one of a number of statistical categories that suggested South Africa were the better team on the day.