Mike McCarthy is out of contract at the end of the season. No matter how much Connacht contributed to his current status, they cannot lay claim to him beyond that.
At 31 years of age the London-born lock will no doubt remain grateful to his current club for the opportunity to show his worth and play rugby at the top level. They have given McCarthy a platform to push onto the international stage. And there, in Paul O’Connell’s absence, he continued to excel.
Was the rugby world supposed to ignore him as if he was their best mate’s ex-girlfriend? ’No, we can’t go near Mike, he’s got roots in the west.’
Advertisement
It’s easy to whip up some faux-rage in support of the underdog, especially when the poor are being ‘robbed’ for the benefit of the rich and successful. Fingers will inevitably be pointed to the recent examples of Leinster snapping up Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Isaac Boss, but this is sport.
Problem solved
Leinster have a long-standing problem in the tight-head side of the second row. Since Nathan Hines’ departure nobody – whether by fitness or fallibility – has been able to nail the place down.
When McCarthy does show up in UCD for pre-season training next (barring a bolt for the Lions tour) August, he will viewed as first choice ahead of another Connacht lock, Damian Browne. But Leinster ‘targeted’ Browne as a Brive player, so that makes it okay.
There will be some horse-trading in in the new year and Connacht will use their sense of injustice to wrangle a replacement from the other provinces.
It would be nice if the new director of rugby appointed by the IRFU to smooth relations between the provinces could ensure that Connacht were not just getting players who are surplus to requirements, but stars in the making who need to do more than being a 24th man in a match-day squad or experienced heads with plenty left to give.
With a return across the Shannon a possibility for Cronin and Carr, and a move for Jordi Murphy also mooted, Connacht’s squad will not be left entirely stripped.
Besides, the chances are that Eric Elwood’s successor won’t have a Heineken Cup campaign to fret over. It’s worth remembering that they would not have had an opportunity to knock lumps out of Harlequins and Biarritz if it were not for the astonishing feat of Leinster.
Pic: INPHO/James Crombie
Much as we would all like four provinces working towards one goal, dividing resources so that we have four clubs of equal standing, they are not all in this fight together. These are competing entities and Tom Sears’ assertion that this move is bad for Irish Rugby is wide of the mark.
Of course, Connacht would have loved to keep McCarthy. Plenty if clubs would have happily shelled out more than the IRFU are offering for a second row who has proved himself against top-tier opposition.
It’s a painful blow to take, but this is precisely what made players like Eric Elwood and John Muldoon so special. Not everyone is of a mind to stick it out in Galway when the chance of playing at a consistently high level comes around.
At 31, McCarthy was unlikely to get another shot at the big-time. He is a professional, and Connacht should enjoy his talents while still at their disposal.
No better opportunity for that than 29 December when the RDS will host the warring factions.
This is exactly the problem that I knew would happen when the IRFU announced their “progressive” policy of limiting the number of players in each position. Connacht were (despite the assertions of some) the club that made McCarthy into what he is today. He played in the backrow before Connacht and McFarland was instrumental in honing his game. Now, as he approaches his prime, he is moved to Leinster because Leinster are not allowed to buy in foreign players.
Connacht on the other hand ARE allowed to go after a quality foreign lock, but in all likelihood we would not be able to afford one of Macca’s quality. Instead we will get more youth to develop. We don’t need more youth. We have enough already and we need leaders.
Furthermore what other players will be caught in this trap? If Leinster cannot develop Macken sufficiently they will come for Griffin? If Ulster want to replace Trimble in a couple of years will they be after O’Halloran? All of this is justifiable now because of the limiting of foreign players in each position.
This has a very negative impact on Connacht, who lose every time one of these moves occur. In return for a star player we get another “talent”, or must promote our academy players, who may or may not make the grade. The opportunity for developing a really competitive Connacht is seriously handicapped by this policy, because we cannot afford to buy foreign players and the rest of the provinces are not allowed so they take Connacht players instead.
Fair? Fair for who? Mike – certainly. All the best to him. he deserves his shot at silverwear. Fair on Leinster? Yes. Fair on Connacht? Not at all.
You say there will b horse trading. And there will. But the Galwaymen will not get a like for like replacement. You mention Jordi. The IRFU cannot force him to go.
Fair would have been to offer Mike significantly more dosh to stay at Connacht and if he still chose to leave so be it. But he wasn’t..he was apparently offered the same terms to stay… which would you do?
It would be down to Connacht to make the offer for him to stay, as he’s not on an IRFU contract as far as I’m aware.
Just as you say with Jordi Murphy, the IRFU can’t make McCarthy stay.
He’s a pro sportsman who sees that Connacht are unlikely to be in the HEC next year and sees he’ll be guaranteed a starting spot in one of the best teams in Europe, with a further chance to cement his Ireland place, coming into what may be the last contract of his career.
It’s a no brainer for a pro sportsman, and pro sports has very little to do with ‘fairness’.
I do agree that it’s hard on Connacht, but this incident, take in isolation as it should be (rather than used as a political drum as by Sears) is fairly simple to understand.
@Shane. I agree. But the IRFU are the paymasters. What if they offered him a central contract to stay? He’d get more money to stay then leave. If he still chose to leave that would be fair. Mikes 100% right to do what he’s doing.
Would have been nice to see the IRFU at least try and level the pitch. :-)
I agree, I wouldn’t be of the opinion that this move should have happened at all, however it is logical for McCarthy, and the spin put on it by Connacht is very OTT, especially when you consider what Leinster have done for Connacht in the past two years.
I would expect that both the IRFU and Leinster are furious with the release put out this morning, which was completely unnecessary.
Honestly the current rules regarding the use of foreign players by the province only really served to make this an inevitability. Leinster have been looking to nail down a good #5 for a few years now and it was just a matter of time before they set their sights on one of their provincial rivals – and that pretty much meant either McCarthy, Tuohy or Ryan.
You can’t really hold it against the Leinster management for making the move though, McCarthy has impressed in the last few months and Schmidt and co arent in any way beholden to Connacht or their fans to always act in their best interests. At the end of the day, they’re working for Leinster and will want to do their best for Leinster rather than Irish rugby as a whole.
why would you want to move to leinster? look a cronin and Carr. playing rabo with leinster and on the bench for the heinekin cup. if they stayed in connacht they be playing heinekin cup and be able to show their skill at a much higher level.
Cronin started in Clermont at the weekend and was playing well… Strauss came on and had a nightmare at the lineout. Cronin also scored a very important try against Montpellier last season in the opening H Cup game away in France. 16-16 draw that day…. There is lots of game time for Cronin and Strauss to share…. Carr on the other hand has never shone and has had too many competitors for his position…
Carr is not really a valid option. He went to Leinster looking for them to take him rather than the other way around. Connacht offered him a 3 year deal but he wanted only a 1 year deal. Connacht did not want that level of uncertainty so said no.
Connachts reaction here has been OTT. If it hadn’t of been for Leinster winning the Heineken cup. Connacht would not be playing at this level. Mike McCarthy is entitled to ply his profession wherever he wishes.
Listening to yourself and Shane wud lead somebody to believe that Leinster won the Heineken Cup just so Connacht cud play in the tournament! :) … We are grateful to that we qualified on the back of Leinster’s outstanding achievement though. Best of luck to Macca – his boots will be hard to fill! He is just another in a long line of players that have improved their game out West before going on to successful careers – its just a pity the IRFU, Munster, & Leinster don’t acknowledge the big contribution we make to the Irish game! Reddan, Downey, Jackman, Flannery are just a few players that made names for themselves at Connacht. Look back thru the last 5 Heineken Cup final squads & you’ll count 10 ex-Connacht players … where wud we be if IRFU funded us so they cud have stayed on?!? As a long-suffering Connacht supporter, I’d find it a little easier to live with the Development Squad status if the rest of the country acknowledged our contributions now and again. We’ll hopefully continue to punch above our weight and develop young Connacht & Irish players. Even though our neighbours forget that Connacht have a proud European record, we won’t (1st Irish province to win away in France and in England… we were the only team with 100% record in Europe at end of pool stages a couple of seasons ago)… Biarritz found this out the hard way!
Great piece, I would take issue at the line about ‘recent examples of Leinster snapping up Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Isaac Boss’, though I presume this is facetiousness Sean?
Shame on the IRFU, Connacht were just starting to really look like a decent squad of players and to lose Mc Carthy will be a bitter blow not to mention other players like Carr, keatley, Cronin.. Connacht are doomed if this poaching does not stop!
Carr was out of contract when Connacht signed him. Not an academy player, not a fringe player, not an established player… Out of contract. Leinster did not want him.
Irish duo feature in Championship, Kane's remarkable season continues
5 hrs ago
0
FreeLOI
Drogheda down Waterford to continue stunning start
5 hrs ago
0
As it happened
Greece v Ireland, Nations League
11 hrs ago
5
Sign in or create a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 164 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.Privacy Policy
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 111 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 146 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 116 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 85 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 85 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 39 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 35 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 136 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 61 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 76 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 84 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 47 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 93 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 100 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 73 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 55 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 91 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 69 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
This is exactly the problem that I knew would happen when the IRFU announced their “progressive” policy of limiting the number of players in each position. Connacht were (despite the assertions of some) the club that made McCarthy into what he is today. He played in the backrow before Connacht and McFarland was instrumental in honing his game. Now, as he approaches his prime, he is moved to Leinster because Leinster are not allowed to buy in foreign players.
Connacht on the other hand ARE allowed to go after a quality foreign lock, but in all likelihood we would not be able to afford one of Macca’s quality. Instead we will get more youth to develop. We don’t need more youth. We have enough already and we need leaders.
Furthermore what other players will be caught in this trap? If Leinster cannot develop Macken sufficiently they will come for Griffin? If Ulster want to replace Trimble in a couple of years will they be after O’Halloran? All of this is justifiable now because of the limiting of foreign players in each position.
This has a very negative impact on Connacht, who lose every time one of these moves occur. In return for a star player we get another “talent”, or must promote our academy players, who may or may not make the grade. The opportunity for developing a really competitive Connacht is seriously handicapped by this policy, because we cannot afford to buy foreign players and the rest of the provinces are not allowed so they take Connacht players instead.
You’ve got to feel for Connacht though – developing and losing so many good players. They really deserve to be more than a nursery team.
Fair? Fair for who? Mike – certainly. All the best to him. he deserves his shot at silverwear. Fair on Leinster? Yes. Fair on Connacht? Not at all.
You say there will b horse trading. And there will. But the Galwaymen will not get a like for like replacement. You mention Jordi. The IRFU cannot force him to go.
Fair would have been to offer Mike significantly more dosh to stay at Connacht and if he still chose to leave so be it. But he wasn’t..he was apparently offered the same terms to stay… which would you do?
It would be down to Connacht to make the offer for him to stay, as he’s not on an IRFU contract as far as I’m aware.
Just as you say with Jordi Murphy, the IRFU can’t make McCarthy stay.
He’s a pro sportsman who sees that Connacht are unlikely to be in the HEC next year and sees he’ll be guaranteed a starting spot in one of the best teams in Europe, with a further chance to cement his Ireland place, coming into what may be the last contract of his career.
It’s a no brainer for a pro sportsman, and pro sports has very little to do with ‘fairness’.
I do agree that it’s hard on Connacht, but this incident, take in isolation as it should be (rather than used as a political drum as by Sears) is fairly simple to understand.
@Shane. I agree. But the IRFU are the paymasters. What if they offered him a central contract to stay? He’d get more money to stay then leave. If he still chose to leave that would be fair. Mikes 100% right to do what he’s doing.
Would have been nice to see the IRFU at least try and level the pitch. :-)
I agree, I wouldn’t be of the opinion that this move should have happened at all, however it is logical for McCarthy, and the spin put on it by Connacht is very OTT, especially when you consider what Leinster have done for Connacht in the past two years.
I would expect that both the IRFU and Leinster are furious with the release put out this morning, which was completely unnecessary.
Honestly the current rules regarding the use of foreign players by the province only really served to make this an inevitability. Leinster have been looking to nail down a good #5 for a few years now and it was just a matter of time before they set their sights on one of their provincial rivals – and that pretty much meant either McCarthy, Tuohy or Ryan.
You can’t really hold it against the Leinster management for making the move though, McCarthy has impressed in the last few months and Schmidt and co arent in any way beholden to Connacht or their fans to always act in their best interests. At the end of the day, they’re working for Leinster and will want to do their best for Leinster rather than Irish rugby as a whole.
Sadly the IRFU seem to view them as a feeder club, but yet they still moan and threaten to wind them up due to low gates, costs to keep them going etc
What the hell do they expect to happen if they allow them to keep getting raped their players once he has a few good months !
why would you want to move to leinster? look a cronin and Carr. playing rabo with leinster and on the bench for the heinekin cup. if they stayed in connacht they be playing heinekin cup and be able to show their skill at a much higher level.
Cronin started in Clermont at the weekend and was playing well… Strauss came on and had a nightmare at the lineout. Cronin also scored a very important try against Montpellier last season in the opening H Cup game away in France. 16-16 draw that day…. There is lots of game time for Cronin and Strauss to share…. Carr on the other hand has never shone and has had too many competitors for his position…
Carr is not really a valid option. He went to Leinster looking for them to take him rather than the other way around. Connacht offered him a 3 year deal but he wanted only a 1 year deal. Connacht did not want that level of uncertainty so said no.
Connachts reaction here has been OTT. If it hadn’t of been for Leinster winning the Heineken cup. Connacht would not be playing at this level. Mike McCarthy is entitled to ply his profession wherever he wishes.
Of course he is, it’s just that it’s a pity for Connacht to develop good players only to lose them to the “big boys.”
Listening to yourself and Shane wud lead somebody to believe that Leinster won the Heineken Cup just so Connacht cud play in the tournament! :) … We are grateful to that we qualified on the back of Leinster’s outstanding achievement though. Best of luck to Macca – his boots will be hard to fill! He is just another in a long line of players that have improved their game out West before going on to successful careers – its just a pity the IRFU, Munster, & Leinster don’t acknowledge the big contribution we make to the Irish game! Reddan, Downey, Jackman, Flannery are just a few players that made names for themselves at Connacht. Look back thru the last 5 Heineken Cup final squads & you’ll count 10 ex-Connacht players … where wud we be if IRFU funded us so they cud have stayed on?!? As a long-suffering Connacht supporter, I’d find it a little easier to live with the Development Squad status if the rest of the country acknowledged our contributions now and again. We’ll hopefully continue to punch above our weight and develop young Connacht & Irish players. Even though our neighbours forget that Connacht have a proud European record, we won’t (1st Irish province to win away in France and in England… we were the only team with 100% record in Europe at end of pool stages a couple of seasons ago)… Biarritz found this out the hard way!
Congratulations to Mike. I’d hate to loose Jordi Murphy though. He is a great prospect.
Great piece, I would take issue at the line about ‘recent examples of Leinster snapping up Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Isaac Boss’, though I presume this is facetiousness Sean?
Good point Shane, do you have a blog?
Shame on the IRFU, Connacht were just starting to really look like a decent squad of players and to lose Mc Carthy will be a bitter blow not to mention other players like Carr, keatley, Cronin.. Connacht are doomed if this poaching does not stop!
I agree Shane, particularly in light of the fact that Fionn Carr was initially developed by the Leinster academy.
Carr was out of contract when Connacht signed him. Not an academy player, not a fringe player, not an established player… Out of contract. Leinster did not want him.