MIKE McCARTHY
FORMER IRELAND, WASPS, NEWCASTLE, CONNACHT & LEINSTER LOOSE FORWARD

IWAS a late bloomer with Ireland. I thought that ship had sailed but I won my first cap at the age of 29, against Scotland at Murrayfield. It was a 2011 World Cup warmup game, but I didn’t get to go to New Zealand despite emptying the tank for three months in the pre-season training.
I qualified for Ireland through my grandfather and played 19 Tests.
Some stand out more than others – New Zealand in the Aviva in 2013, what an atmosphere that was! I was only informed on the Wednesday night I&rs...