As cameos go, it was pretty damned good.
If we had not seen him do it before – and on that same pitch against Fiji – many would have doubted if Joey Carbery’s 71st minute line break was that good. He has and it was.
Carbery has seen little time for Leinster at 10 this season [one start and a handful of sub appearances] but he was afforded 15 minutes after Johnny Sexton had taken a can-opener to Scarlets in a one-sided Guinness PRO14 final.
With little time to shine, Carbery shone for the duration. He enjoyed himself out there.
That break may have only gained nine metres on the stats sheets but it did so much damage to the Scarlets defence that you could almost hand the 22-year-old an assist. He left Hadleigh Parkes swinging at fresh air twice before drawing in Leigh Halfpenny and getting his pass away.
Luke McGrath was there in support and he found Jack Conan to score Leinster’s fifth and final try in their 40-32 victory.
Following the match, Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster grabbed hold of Carbery and Garry Ringrose for a quick word. He exclaimed:
“Made bits of him, didn’t he? Couldn’t even get a finger on him.”
Leinster coach Emmett Farrell was neraby and remarked, “Amazing! You did your man by about half a metre.”
This is the talent Carbery possesses, has already shown at the highest level and will continue to show for province and country. What that province is, next season and beyond, remains up in the air but Sexton told us after the game that he wants Carbery to stick around.
One wonders if a deal has already been done – Ross Byrne was also linked with a move away from Leinster – but the PRO14 champions will surely not allow the young star to leave.
Earlier this season, our Jack O’Toole asked ‘why have a Rolls Royce only to keep it in the garage’ in reference to Carbery being kept on the bench far too often this season. It was a valid question but when you have Sexton and Rob Kearney in rude form and health, there is no harm in cracking out the Roller to pop to the local shops every now and then.
His time, like Beauden Barrett’s for New Zealand, will come.
