James McCarthy (born 5 January 1999) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

rugby union player who plays as a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Early life

McCarthy was born in

Newport, Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2 ...

to an Irish father and a Welsh mother. He attended

Caerleon Comprehensive School Caerleon Comprehensive School () is an 11–18 mixed, English-medium community Secondary School and Sixth Form in Caerleon, Newport, Wales. The school was ranked 6th in the WalesOnline ''Best Secondary Schools in Wales 2018'' awards, and wa ...

and Newport High School. He had been part of the

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

academy and began playing rugby union aged 12, going on to represent

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

at under-18 schools level and scoring two tries in their win against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

under-18 schools in 2017, as well as being a member of the

Newport Gwent Dragons Dragons RFC ( cy, Dreigiau) are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in ...

academy.

Move to Ireland

Following his performances in his native Wales, McCarthy, who had been identified through the

Irish Exiles Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

pathway, was contacted by the

Irish Rugby Football Union The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...

, who offered him a place in Munster's academy. McCarthy spent two seasons with the province, featuring for their 'A' team on a number of occasions, and earning five caps for Ireland under-20s and playing against

, before opting to return to Wales in April 2019.

Return to Wales

McCarthy rejoined

Dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

upon his return to Wales, and was called up to the

Wales Sevens The Wales national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games. Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by Engl ...

squad in January 2020. Because McCarthy never played for

Ireland Wolfhounds The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams ...

, Ireland's designated 'capture' team, he remained eligible for Wales selection. He was released by the Dragons at the end of the 2019–20 season.

References

External links

Dragons ProfileMunster Academy Profile
* 1999 births Living people Cross Keys RFC players Dragons RFC players People educated at Caerleon Comprehensive School People educated at Newport High School Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from Newport, Wales Rugby union wings UL Bohemians R.F.C. players Welsh rugby union players {{Wales-rugbyunion-bio-stub