Connacht today confirmed that second row Mike McCarthy will leave at the end of the season to join Leinster.
By Declan Whooley
The news will come as a huge blow to the Westerners as they look to continue their recent progress and CEO Tom Sears has voiced his disappointment at the recent trend of players departing the Sportsground to the current European champions.
“We have been aware of Leinster’s interest in Mike for some time,” he said. “It is disappointing they have persistently targeted Connacht players in recent years, particularly when often not in the best interest of Irish Rugby,” he added.
McCarthy has been a model of consistency for Connacht in two different spells at the club and was named man of the match in the victory over Biarritz last Friday night. His international career has taken off over the past twelve months and was also named man of the match in the Autumn Series loss to South Africa.
His capture will add to Leinster’s second-row options, an area that has been a cited as a weakness since the departure of Brad Thorn.
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