McCarthy ready to step up as Leinster’s No 9

Nick McCarthy says he’ll be ready to rock if he’s selected by Leinster in next month’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao.

The 23-year-old scrum-half has come off the bench in both of the province’s knockout games so far — 15 minutes against Saracens and nine minutes against Scarlets last weekend.

With Luke McGrath, the first choice No 9, in a race to prove his fitness after an ankle injury, McCarthy has become an ever more important member of the Leinster squad.