'He was a pain in the arse' - Paddy McCarthy stood out first time Farrell's side trained against U20s

The 22-year-old Leinster prop was the sole member of the 23 listed by Farrell on Thursday morning to have an asterisk after his name.

TALENT: Paddy McCarthy has been on the radar since the Ireland seniors trained against the U20s side. Picture: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Andy Farrell has been at this a fair while. He celebrated his six-year anniversary as Ireland head coach here in Chicago last weekend. He’s also coming back into the role after a secondment that probably didn’t feel like much of a rest at all as he spent months weighing up the playing talents of four nations instead of just one.

A lot of players have come and gone across the radar. And yet, asked when Paddy McCarthy’s hefty frame first came into view, he remembered in an instant.