Last year's Champions Cup final came a little early for Joe McCarthy but this time around he is front and centre to Leinster's hopes.
Last year's Champions Cup final came a little early for Joe McCarthy but this time around he is front and centre to Leinster's hopes.
READ MORE:Champions Cup final: Ian Madigan claims Toulouse are scarred as he relishes Dupont v Gibson-Park"I'd only made my debut in January that year so I hadn't really thought I'd be playing in the Champions Cup or in a final," admitted McCarthy. "It was kind of surreal at the time. I just got back the week before when I played against Munster off the bench . So I didn’t play any of the knock-out games coming up to the final.
"I feel very lucky to be in a final again because it's not easy to win those or get to that position again. Once we'd lost that, you don't know how long it will be until you get another opportunity. So I feel very lucky to get another chance to go again." Around half of the Leinster side that lines out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hasn't won the Champions Cup. "I'm super excited," he said. "It's exactly where you want to be as a rugby player. The lads were talking about it, this is why you play rugby, for these big weeks.
Joe Mccarthy Leo Cullen Ireland Rugby Union Team Six Nations
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