McCarthy’s starting to fit right in with Blues

EVEN the most optimistic of Leinster supporters will have been surprised by the dominant nature of the Blues’ Champions Cup wins over Saracens and Scarlets.

Leo Cullen’s men dismissed the challenge of the back-to-back European champions with a 30-19 win at Lansdowne Road before lifting their levels again to see off Scarlets 38-16 in last week’s semi-final.

In two massive knockout games that many expected to go right down to the wire, Cullen has instead found himself able to call his big guns ashore and give some of the more untested members of his squad some big-game experience.

One such beneficiary is Nick McCarthy (below).

As third-choice scrum-half behind Luke McGrath and Jamison Gibson-Park, the 23-year-old would generally have been another interested spectator in the stands for such important occasions.

However, over the last month McCarthy has been summoned from the bench to help close out both European ties, playing the final 15 minutes of the Saracens game before a nine-minute cameo against Scarlets.

He admits that there have been some nerves — evident in some shaky moments and poorlyexecuted box kicks against the London club — but says he is beginning to become more comfortable on the big stage.

‘A lot of that is in your head,’ he explained. ‘You are well able for it but you just need to confirm it for yourself as well. Whether there is 10 or 20 minutes off the bench when you come on, you do a few good things, get some confidence from that and it is a really enjoyable experience. ‘I think during the game, I wouldn’t dwell on things too much. I think after the game it’s natural to be disappointed about one or two mistakes, especially if you only play for 10 minutes, that’s your window. ‘I think you learn a lot in the big games, even leading up to it. The preparation goes up another level in those big games and you just learn a lot from Johnny [Sexton] and Isa [Nacewa] and these guys. They help you out and give you pointers here and there. That makes a big difference.’ It has been an extremely promising season for McCarthy, who has played 18 times for the province over the course of the campaign, although only two of those — against the Southern Kings and Scarlets during the Six Nations — have been starts. ‘I only played four games last year and it is hard to feel fully part of the team when you are slotting in and out,’ he continued. ‘You don’t feel that comfortable in the environment because you just haven’t done it enough. It’s a bit more seamless slotting in now because you are just a bit more used to it and you can back yourself that bit more, so I’m really enjoying it.’ With Leinster still fighting for Champions Cup and Pro14 honours, McCarthy will be hoping to be given more opportunities to test himself before the season draws to a close.