Joe McCarthy on RG Snyman's Leinster move: 'Fighting brings out the best in you'

The Leinster second row ace is loving the chance to get a run of games and was man of the match against Munster at Thomond Park

Joe McCarthy plans to fight for his Leinster place with the same intensity as he plays.

McCarthy was in his element at Thomond Park as Storm Gerritt hit Limerick and he inspired Leinster to a gutsy 9-3 victory over Munster.

The 22-year-old relishes the physical stuff and he thrived in the conditions as he picked up his second man of the match award of the season.

READ MORE: Joe McCarthy drops f-bomb as he celebrates Leinster's win over Munster

But he will have a different kind of battle on his hands when RG Snyman leaves Munster for the Blues in the summer.

James Ryan is Leinster's second row leader but McCarthy is relishing the challenge of nailing down a lock spot for himself, despite the arrival of the two-time World Cup winner with South Africa.

There are playing limitations on Snyman's contract so that he doesn't block home grown talent but McCarthy must still deliver the goods in the big games when the Springbok giant arrives.

"Yeah, there's loads of competition now and he will add more, which is great," said McCarthy.

"It's never good to be comfortable in your position. You always want to be fighting, that brings out the best in you.

"He's a great player, I'm sure it will be very exciting to see. It's a long way away obviously but he's a class player so he should add a lot."

McCarthy is tipped to become a great player himself having got his first taste of the World Cup at France 2023, where he started against Romania and came off the bench in the quarter-final against the All Blacks.

"Yeah, every week I'm trying to get better," he reflected. "I'm still very young, I feel like I've loads to still improve on.

"I've been lucky I've got a few games in a row and that's how you get better, playing loads of rugby. I'm loving playing at the moment so hopefully I can keep playing as much as I can."

Blues boss Leo Cullen believes that McCarthy's attitude and work ethic has him on the right trajectory.

“Joe is getting better all the time," Cullen agreed. "But he works unbelievably hard at all aspects of his game.

“He's a great guy to work with. So he’s still what, 22 years of age? He’s going good.

"It was his type of game (against Munster) - in the trenches, which he loves, making a nuisance of himself!"

McCarthy knew it would be tight, given the nature of the rivalry in recent times, but he had expected the weather to deteriorate as badly as it did. Grinding it the result felt good.

"I kind of enjoy it, to be honest," he smiled. "I don't mind scrumming and mauling all day, it probably suits my strengths.

"Everyone was embracing it. We've had wins like this in tough conditions already so it was satisfying.

"I knew set-piece is always going to be really important on days like this. Our lineout defence was strong in the air and on the ground, and we had a good day at scrum-time.

"We talked as a pack beforehand that it's class for the pack, deciding the game will probably come down to us.

"It felt like a mature performance. In the big games it's about closing it out so it's hugely satisfying from a team perspective that we were able to play a different side of the game to what you might do on a nice day.

"It's very satisfying that we just kind of found a way to win in tough conditions."

It comes as no surprise to learn is embracing the opportunity to work with Leinster's new defence coach Jacques Nienaber.

"He's been class," McCarthy said. "He's added a new layer to our defence. You saw that our defence looks very good, aggressive and we're properly going after teams, so it's been super enjoyable working with him.

"He brings great energy and sets the mindset for the group. He's had a massive impact and no tries (conceded on Tuesday), so he'll be happy enough.

"I love trying to learn from different people. Different perspectives are class, even now we've got Jason (Jenkins), he's South African and brings something different. It's class learning off him and Jacques already.

"I love just soaking up as much as I can. The more voices the better."

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