Ireland star Joe McCarthy goes viral for wholesome post-match moment
Ireland lock Joe McCarthy with his family after the final whistle and gifts his Player of the Match media to his brother.
Ireland lock Joe McCarthy caught the attention of fans on and off the pitch on Friday evening in his first Six Nations start for his country.
The 22-year-old was a linchpin for Andy Farrell’s charges as they charged to a record 38-17 victory over France in Marseille.
After starring for Leinster this season, he was handed the responsibility of starting the first Test of the year for Ireland and thrived with a rampaging performance, including massive carries, tackles and graft, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Touching moment
While he was trending during the game for his performance, his actions after the clash was praised just as much, if not more.
Virgin Media Sport’s camera spotted the second-rower gifting his medal to his brother Andrew after the final whistle, a wholesome moment that fans have lapped up.
💚 Joe McCarthy gifts his Player of the Match award to his brother Andrew.pic.twitter.com/eypkKWkH18
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 3, 2024
“You’ll not see anything better than this all weekend,” one fan wrote in reply to a post.
Another added: “What a beautiful moment, a great man on & off the pitch.”
Commenting on the moment, the Ireland star said that it was difficult to miss his brother in the crowd.
“It was hard to miss him there! He was looking like a leprechaun in the crowd. A big Irish blazer. It was good to see the family after the game, it was special,” McCarthy said.
Big Joe McCarthy! 💚#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/MjBAfDj0tl
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 2, 2024
Shades of Etzebeth
As mentioned already, his performance on the pitch caught the eye, too, with many praising it, including ex-Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll.
Former England fly-half Andy Goode praised his performance on social media platform X, formerly Twitter: “Joe McCarthy is an absolute beast and having a stormer! He’s monstering boys everywhere!”
Another fan felt that his performance was reminiscent of a young Eben Etzebeth.
“Joe McCarthy, every now and then, a player comes along, and you just know they are made for Test rugby. McCarthy, at 22, has walked into the test arena and made it look so easy. A 100 test cap kind of player and a Lion in the making. Shades of Etzebeth back in 2012,” their post read.
Jamie Lyall added: “A coming-of-age performance from Big Joe McCarthy, this. Epic dynamism in the brutal close-quarter skirmishes. Running into this French pack is like charging headlong into a herd of buffalo, and McCarthy is breaking them every time he rumbles forward.”
