Joe McCarthy has struck up an unexpected friendship with Henry Pollock as the British and Irish Lions rookies step up their hunt for Test selection.
The forwards delivered eye-catching performances in Saturday’s 54-7 victory over Western Force in Perth, seizing their chances three weeks out from the series opener against Australia.
McCarthy finished man of the match after embellishing a mighty shift in defence with some impactful attacking moments, while Pollock made up for flashes of indiscipline with the dynamism only he can bring to the back row.
Off the field, Ireland enforcer McCarthy has found himself forming an unlikely bromance with the swaggering England flanker.
“Henry’s actually a good fella. He’s proper high-energy and he’s been very sound,” McCarthy said.
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“He can be a bit much at times but he is himself and I’ve probably got on with him way better than I thought I would. Like we saw against the Force, he’s class to have in your team as well.”
McCarthy was part of the Leinster side that were knocked out of the Champions Cup semi-finals by Pollock’s Northampton, leading to some awkward initial moments when the rivals first entered Lions camp earlier this month.
“We got there and were thinking ‘oh for f***’s sake, it’s these fellas again!’,” McCarthy said.
“But I’ve played golf with Alex Mitchell and me and Tommy Freeman are doing ‘thought for the day’ on the bus, so it’s interesting to hear Tommy’s thoughts.
“One I liked was ‘today is the oldest you ever have been and the youngest you ever will be’.”
McCarthy admits he felt under pressure to deliver against the Force as he became the first second row to put his hand up for selection alongside captain Maro Itoje in the Lions engine room against the Wallabies on July 19.
The display was reminiscent of his night against France in last year’s Six Nations when he first served notice of his potential, but consistency has been elusive for the 24-year-old.
“It’s hard to put your finger on it, sometimes things just happen for you. But then you might prepare super well for a game and things don’t happen for you,” McCarthy said.
“Here it feels like a level up. During the week I was nervous and on edge about playing well but I’m probably at my best when I feel like my back’s against the wall a little bit.
“Andy Farrell wants us to be super physical, on the edge, but he also tells us ‘don’t be desperate, don’t force things – earn the right to get off the line, make tackles and make turnovers’.”
