McCarthy handed Ireland debut

Rugby:Mike McCarthy will make his debut for Ireland against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday in a team that will be led by Leinster's Leo Cullen in the absence of regular skipper Brian O'Driscoll. The 29-year-old London born, Connacht flanker has been a regular member of extended national squads over the past year and now has been handed a deserved opportunity.

He said of his elevation: “It’s a great day for me and my family. I am immensely proud to have been given this chance. All the lads are chomping at the bit to get out there and play. It’ll be a big step up but I’m confident I can manage and am looking forward to the match.”

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has plumped for what might be described an experimental line-up for the opening fixture in a four test match run-up to the Rugby World Cup on New Zealand. Rob Kearney will play his first competitive game since sustaining a knee injury in November. Paddy Wallace partners Fergus McFadden in the centre, while Tomas O’Leary, who has been very unfortunate with injuries, will link up with Jonathan Sexton at halfback.

“Rob will be judged by a certain standard and there will be comments that he hasn’t played for a while,” said Kidney of his fullback. “All we ask is that he gives everything. He’ll work through it and whether he has a storming game or a not so good one, it’s just one game.

“When you’re out injured for a long time, you just want to be able to get back on the pitch. If you can do that in a Test it’s a bit daunting, but also an added bonus.”

Sean Cronin is named at hooker with Jerry Flannery included among the replacements. A strong and experienced bench also contains the uncapped, Dublin born, Munster fullback Felix Jones.

The 33-year-old Cullen will lead Ireland for the first time at senior level – he wins his 30th cap at Murrayfield – but it is not the first time that he has led a side coached by Kidney, a statistic that goes back to an Under-19 World Cup 14 years ago.

The secondrow boasts an excellent track record in leading teams including several Irish underage teams, Ireland A, the Leicester Tigers and Leinster. Kidney admitted: “Once Leo was in the team he was an obvious choice to captain the side.”

The Irish coach confirmed that he would be making some changes to the team for Saturday week’s trip to Bordeaux while other players would be given game time in pre-season friendlies with their provinces. Kidney has opted for a five-two split on the bench.

While Kidney is juggling the need to test out combinations and give certain players crucial game time, he insists beating Scotland remains the priority.

“When you play a test match there’s no holding back. You either go for it or you don’t,” he said. “If you operate at only 80 or 90 per cent you actually increase your chances of picking up a knock.

“It’s a test match and that’s the way we’re approaching it — we want to go out there and get a win First and foremost every time you wear the green jersey you want to win the game.

“That’s why we have a good, experienced team with just one new cap in it. We also want to try new combinations and from there get our base level right to see where we are come Saturday.”

Scotland:C Paterson (Edinburgh); N Walker (Ospreys), J Ansbro (London Irish), G Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets); R Jackson (Glasgow), R Lawson (Gloucester, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), G Cross (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Gloucester), R Gray (Glasgow), A Strokosch (Gloucester), R Rennie (Edinburgh), J Beattie (Glasgow). Replacements:D Hall (Glasgow), A Dickinson (Sale Sharks), A Kellock (Glasgow), D Denton (Edinburgh), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh), J Cuthbert (Bath).

Ireland:R Kearney (Leinster); A Trimble (Ulster), F McFadden (Leinster), P Wallace (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster); T Court (Ulster), S Cronin (Leinster), T Buckley (Sale Sharks), D Ryan (Munster), L Cullen (Leinster, capt), M McCarthy (Connacht), N Ronan (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements:J Flannery (Munster), M Horan (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), K McLaughlin (Leinster), I Boss (Leinster), F Jones (Munster).

Referee:Wayne Barnes (England).

Age:29
Born:London
Club:Connacht
Representative:England U-21, Ireland Wolfhounds
Height:6'4"
Weight:113kgs

A versatile player who can play in the secondrow and backrow, he attended Sedbergh School before joining Wasps in 2001. McCarthy represented England in the 2002 Under 21 World Cup in South Africa under former Ireland and England coach Brian Ashton before joining Connacht the following season.

He returned to England in 2004 where he spent three seasons at the Newcastle Falcons before rejoining Connacht. He made his 100th appearance for the Irish province in an Amlin Challenge Cup game against Bayonne last season.

He has been a member of the extended Ireland squad for almost a year and played for the Ireland Wolfhounds against the England Saxons and celebrated subsequently by signing a new two-year contract with Connacht.