'Old banger' Mike McCarthy ready to prang Wales

He was a couple of months shy of a 34th birthday, some way off pulling up trees and then omitted from Joe Schmidt’s squad for the World Cup, but Mike McCarthy never thought his Ireland career had ended after just the 17 caps.

The power of positive thinking, eh?

“I was confident I would get back in,” he said after being named in the side to face Wales. “There’s a lot of talk about my age but I don’t feel 34, my body feels really good. Hopefully I can keep on playing for another three or four years. I’m negotiating with Leinster and hopefully I will be staying.”