Late last season, former Ireland scrum-half spoke about a new enough phenomenon in modern rugby – the team WhatsApp group.
Boss finished up in the summer of 2016 and he told The Hard Yards all about WhatsApp etiquette.
“WhatsApp is a new phenomenon,” he said. “We never used to have that back in the [Ulster and early Leinster] days.
“When someone finishes up, they either don’t announce it and leave the group. Everyone else is going, ‘Eh, did you see he left the group?’.
“Or there’s a ritual where if someone doesn’t leave the group they get kicked out. It’s a jokey mean way to say, ‘Right, you’ve got to move on!’“
Mike McCarthy went for Option B – he hung around until he got turfed out. The former Leinster and Ireland lock, who retired back in May, commented:
“The biggest and the worst part for me, so far, has been getting kicked out of the squad’s WhatsApp group. That’s pretty bad.”
McCarthy also listed [from 13:00 below] the six best and seven worst things of retiring from professional rugby.
We’ll start with what McCarthy DOES NOT MISS:
- Dexa Scan [for bone density levels]
- Body fat monitored
- Post-game saunas
- Review sessions
- The pressure
- Zebre away
And this is what he DOES MISS:
- Dev Toner
- Banter with the lads in the changing room
- Competing in big games
- Free food
- Free stash [rugby and leisure gear]
- Doing what you love
- Schedule and routine
Getting serious for a moment, McCarthy did admit he had some darker moments not long after he hung up his boots but he has gradually come around to the acceptance stage of rugby retirement.
He has not gone cold turkey, though. This season, the 19-times capped Ireland international is helping out at Buccaneers as forwards coach.
