Dave McCarthy Set To Take On Irish Exiles

We catch up with Dave McCarthy who looks ahead to the Munster U18 Clubs interprovincial warm up fixture against the Irish Exiles this Sunday at The Mardyke, Cork (kick-off 3pm).

A native of Union Hall in West Cork, Dave began his rugby career aged 7 at Skibbereen RFC and looks forward to representing Munster U18 Clubs this September for his second consecutive year.

The Munster U18 Club squad this week completed their five week Talent Camp programme at Rockwell College and commenting on the experience Dave said all the players have benefitted hugely from the intense training programme.

“You learn so much over the five weeks and definitely come out of the camp a better player. Fiach (O’Loughlin), Ken (O’Connell) and Jonny (McGailey) are fantastic coaches and the knowledge they have passed on to us has been invaluable.

“There is very much a trial atmosphere here the whole time so there’s always a little bit of pressure which really brings fellas on. The quality of training and intensity is what you need to keep improving and I think we have really gelled together as a unit. Many of us have played against each other over the years at club level but here we put our clubs aside and focus completely on representing Munster.”

As the Munster U18 Clubs prepare to take on the Irish Exiles in their first competitive fixture on Sunday, Dave is confident the warm up game will benefit the squad ahead of their interprovincial campaign.

“We’re feeling fairly confident going into the Exiles match. We’re not the finished article at this stage but Sunday’s game will be a great test; hopefully we’ll iron out a few things we need to improve on and can develop further from that."

The side will meet their Leinster counterparts at Donnybrook in their opening interprovincial fixture this September and following last year’s defeat are well aware of the challenge that faces them.

“We won two games out of three in last season’s interpro and unfortunately lost out to Leinster in Waterford. It was a home game for us but we didn’t play to our full potential.

“Though the defeat was very disappointing we definitely learnt a huge amount from the experience and have corrected a lot of our mistakes. All three interprovincial games will be very tough and taking on Leinster on their home turf will be an added challenge. That said we have worked really hard, we’re very focused and will definitely be ready for it.”

Dave will be entering his final school year this September and looks forward to continuing his rugby development for the foreseeable future.

“It is a great honour to play for Munster and you’d hope that some day you would get the chance to wear the red jersey at senior level. For now I just want to focus on improving the whole time and keep going forward. The main thing is for me to enjoy it – that’s what you do it for!"

Getting to know Dave McCarthy

Age: 17

Position: Centre

Favourite Food: Spaghetti Bolognese

Book you are currently reading or have just finished: Brian O’Driscoll’s Autobiography

Favourite TV programme: A League Of Their Own

Favourite Film: Rocky

Favourite Actor/Actress: Morgan Freeman

Most enjoyable holiday location: Germany

Marooned on a desert island what could you not be without: My mobile phone

Favourite sport other than rugby: Gaelic Football

The sport you least like: Cricket

Person you would most like to meet: Floyd Mayweather

Sportsperson you admire most: Ronan O’Gara

Hobbies: Golf & Fishing

Where and when did you first play rugby: Skibbereen RFC

Other sports that you played: Gaelic Football and Golf

Rugby team you admire most: The All Blacks

Sporting event you would most like to attend: The last day of the Ryder Cup

Three people you would invite to dinner and why: James Corden, Will Greenwood and Mila Kunis

Place in the province you most like to chill out: Glandore in West Cork

Munster U18 Clubs v Exiles

Sun, 16th August, Munster v Exiles, Mardyke, Cork ko 3pm

Munster U18 Clubs Interprovincial Fixtures

Sat., 5th Sept., Leinster v Munster, Donnybrook, 1.00pm
Sat., 12th Sept., Munster v Connacht, CIT, Cork, kick-off 2.00pm
Sat., 19th Sept., Munster v Ulster, CBC, Cork, kick-off 11.00am

Munster U18 Clubs Management Team

Manager: Tom Fogarty
Head Coach: Fiach O’Loughlin
Assistant Coach: Ken O’Connell
Assistant Coach: David Lee
Strength and Conditioning: Johnny McGailey