All Blacks Captain Scott Barrett Explains On-Field Confrontation with Ireland’s Joe McCarthy

An on-field incident involving Joe McCarthy and Scott Barrett marked New Zealand’s win against Ireland in Dublin. New Zealand captain Scott Barrett stated he “took exception” to Ireland lock Joe McCarthy during the All Blacks’ 23-13 triumph in Dublin. Barrett confronted McCarthy early in the game, believing the Irish player had “cleaned up” fly-half Damian McKenzie while McKenzie was on the ground following a ruck. McKenzie contributed 18 points, a key factor in the All Blacks ending Ireland’s 19-game unbeaten streak in Dublin. When questioned about the incident, Barrett remarked, “I don’t usually take exception but I saw something that I guess was below the line for me.” He added, “I had to make a point of not to be targeting our 10 like that.” Barrett indicated he felt “he had to defend McKenzie,” asserting that he believed McKenzie was being targeted by the Irish players. The game was temporarily halted as players converged on McCarthy and Barrett, but referee Nic Berry subsequently restarted play without issuing any sanctions. Barrett further elaborated, “From where I saw it, it looked like it was around his head. Whether it was or not, I’m not too sure.” He continued, “It just looked like a ruck, he was on the ground. From where I saw it it looked like a bit of a shoulder to a man on the ground, who was our ten.” Barrett concluded his remarks on the incident by stating, “I guess I took exception to that in the moment. It may not have been.”