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IT WAS THE 11th minute in Perth and the Lions were under the pump.
They had made a flying start to score through captain Dan Sheehan but the Force quickly hit back through Nic White – who else? – after the first of what proved to be several restart receipt botches by Scott Cummings and co.
With the game tied at 7-7, the Lions’ discipline began to slip. Tadhg Beirne was among those to give up penalties, as was Joe McCarthy when he swung up the side of a maul.
So the Lions found themselves defending another maul just five metres from their line. A big moment early in the game. Give the hosts a lead and there might be trouble.
But it was 24-year-old McCarthy who splintered through the Force maul and took hold of the ball, reefing it clear of Australian hands so the Lions could kick clear.Â
Just two minutes later, McCarthy had another turnover. This one came at the breakdown after excellent work by Beirne, who fought hard in a choke tackle, listened to the warning to release the ball-carrier, and left the door open for McCarthy to pounce for a clean poach.
With the siege lifted, the Lions found their rhythm again and soon grabbed their second try of the night as Henry Pollock and Josh van der Flier combined beautifully to tee up Tomos Williams.
There was another McCarthy pilfer in the first half, again off the back of Beirne’s good work. On this 34th-minute occasion, Beirne barged through a Force ruck to leave the ball exposed. McCarthy didn’t need to be asked twice, scooping it up and launching a counter-attack.
The Irish lock simply never let up in a powerful, busy performance for the Lions as they hammered the Force 54-7 to get their tour of Australia rolling.
His ball-carrying was prominent, with 15 carries leaving him second on the Lions’ list behind Sione Tuipulotu.Â
On the other side of the ball, McCarthy’s 17 tackles left him short of only Josh van der Flier’s 22.
It wasn’t all about grunt work, either. When the Force spilled the ball in the Lions’ 22 early in the second half, McCarthy showed good alertness to step in at scrum-half and fire a long pass from left to right, sparking the classy breakout try finished by Williams.
Sure, Beirne and Finn Russell were screaming for the ball but McCarthy calmly adapted to make sure it got there. He had a few other nice passes in this game.Â
The Leinster second row also finished one of the Lions’ eight tries, cantering into the left corner after Pollock’s brilliant chip and regather left the Force reeling. That relatively handy finish was justified reward for McCarthy’s work rate.
Of course, Andy Farrell knows all about what McCarthy brings. He has seen him make a big impact against better opposition than the Western Force. But momentum and form during a Lions tour are important. This was a great start for McCarthy on his debut in the red jersey.
The Dublin man was always going to be an intriguing figure on this tour. He’s the least experienced of the second rows but he offers something different to the others.Â
At 124kg, McCarthy is the biggest and heaviest of the second row crop. He’s probably the purest tighthead lock, the most obvious physical enforcer. His power and weight are useful when it comes to intense physical battles like the maul and scrum.
McCarthy has also been working hard on his lineout skills and looks a more fluid mover and jumper than ever. He had five wins in the Lions’ lineout in Perth.
His biggest area for improvement in recent years has been cutting out momentary lapses of concentration or indiscipline. While his yellow card against France earlier this year showed that it remains a work in progress, there is no 24-year-old professional player who is the complete package.
We know that Farrell is a big fan of ‘Big Joe,’ so it will be interesting to see how the rest of this tour pans out for him.
Captain Maro Itoje will be starting the Tests in the second row barring injury, with McCarthy, Beirne, Ollie Chessum, James Ryan, and Scott Cummings also in the mix.
The Force game was a bad night for Cummings as he and his lifters struggled to deal with restarts.
Beirne played in the second row against Argentina before switching to blindside flanker today, which underlines that Farrell is considering this for the Tests. It could be that Itoje, McCarthy, and Beirne all fit into the same pack.
Chessum came on in the second row for Cummings against the Force and he is a dynamic player who can also play at blindside.
Ryan will have something to say about this selection debate as he gets set to finally make his first Lions appearance against the Reds on Wednesday. The Leinster man has been in fine form, so he will look to match McCarthy’s impact by impressing in Brisbane.
The back five of the Lions scrum was always going to be difficult to pick and McCarthy’s big performance in Perth has probably made it even trickier.
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