“These two weeks are an ideal challenge. A lot of La Rochelle players play for France. Not as many for Bayonne but similar styles. It’s ideal prep and about such small margins.
00:01, 15 Jan 2026Updated 07:01, 15 Jan 2026
2024 Guinness Six Nations Championship Round 1, Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France 2/2/2024
France vs Ireland – Joe McCarthy in action(Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady)
Leinster’s teak tough, relentless game with La Rochelle was as physical as it is going to get in club rugby.
This weekend the task has moved to the partisan raucous Stade Jean-Dauger stadium where hosts Bayonne have the best home record in Top 14 rugby.
Big Joe McCarthy, hero of Ireland’s win over a tough relentless France in a partisan Marseilles stadium last time out in the 2024 wouldn’t want the 2026 tournament build up – this challenging – any other way.
France meet Ireland at Stade de France in the Six Nations opening fixture on February 5th, 21 days away for those counting.
“It’s really good. Jacques Nienaber would talk to us about preparing for French teams, he would have a lot of experience of playing against France and their similar mindset and things like that.
“These two weeks are an ideal challenge. A lot of La Rochelle players play for France. Not as many for Bayonne but similar styles. It’s ideal prep and about such small margins.
“It’s a way better feeling coming into this weekend with a win., it makes everything a lot better. We try to make the point though that the win doesn’t paper over the cracks and we definitely weren’t perfect against La Rochelle.
Physical powerhouse, big Joe McCarthy (Image: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
“There were a lot of areas we actually felt we were quite poor in so it’s getting that balance right. I felt we deserved the win, we dug it out and found a way, but trying to fix what we can.”
The Blues move on to Bayonne this Saturday, who are eight-placed in the Top 14 on the back of sending their espoirs to Montpeller last time out. Had they targeted and won the match they would have been joint-third or sixth depending on the margin.
“Their home record has been unbelievable, I think it was the best in the Top 14 last year. They can’t qualify now but they are a proud team and they will show up for the fans.
“One thing we looked at from the La Rochelle game was that every French team likes to offload in contact, they don’t want it to break down. We probably didn’t deal with that so well because maybe in the URC teams are more pragmatic.
“Bayonne have good athletes and they will want to keep the ball alive. They won’t want us to get a ruck set so they ill look to play through us and offload and that is very French and obvious to say but it is still very hard to defend when they get it right.”
“Even when the fixtures came out everyone was really excited about that one. Before the World Cup we played Samoa there. It was a bit of a cagey game but the atmosphere was even class then because there were a lot of French fans at that game.
“You always hear about it being one of the best atmospheres in the Top 14 so we’re really excited about it. We seem to play a lot of the same teams, like a Leicester and a La Rochelle, so a new team like Bayonne is always good.
For McCarthy there was the thrill of facing man mountain Will Skelton last Saturday – and coming off best,
“Always a good challenge. He’s always messing, a good bit off-the-ball stuff, stuff you have to deal with. A lot of what they try to do is to distract you from your game so you are trying to get the balance right.
“He has been around for ages and he is probably smart, He definitely knows how to chat to the refs. Obviously he gets penalised as well. He definitely knows how to chat to the refs as well. Those things matter, they all come into it. He has a good effect on the game.”
Interestingly, it is a match-craft McCarthy puts on a par with the legendary All Black back-row and skipper Richie McCaw, chancing the offside call, hands in the ruck etc.
“Yeah, a bit of that. Richie McCaw might get an extra second to leave it and stuff. Maybe he gets a bit of that.”
“Maybe he’s earned it as an older player, earned that respect. He seems to be able to play on the line very well and the refs don’t seem to pick him up too much. He has found a good balance.”