For a long time on Saturday, it was looking like Joe McCarthy just wasn't meant to score.
Held up over the line once in each half, the second row was also knocked into touch right in the corner, a hattrick of near misses for the 22-year-old.
On 67 minutes though he got his reward when the ground opened up in front of him after a mess of a lineout from Romania close to their own line, and the he was able to run in under the posts for his first Irish try on just his second Test start.
"I thought it would come a bit sooner maybe," McCarthy joked after the 82-8 win against Romania in Bordeaux.
"A few of my mates are slagging me about butchering a few chances.
"I thought one of them I maybe touched a bit of grass but no, glad to get one of them at least."
All analysis of the win must be caveated with the fact that the Romanian challenge was limited, to put it mindly. Eugen Apjok’s Oaks offered plenty of physicality and a kicking strategy that worked for a period in the first half, but Ireland’s World Cup campaign won’t be remembered for better or worse off this game alone.
As such, McCarthy’s impressive statline is padded somewhat by the standard of opposition. The second row made 17 carries, a number only Bundee Aki bettered, while his six tackles was second only to Peter O’Mahony.
What can’t be disputed in the numbers is the appetite for work. On a baking hot day in Bordeaux, McCarthy showed tremendous workrate and fitness, while three offloads and a turnover won at the maul also suggests he has something to offer both in the tight, physical exchanges as well as open play.
"Our attack definitely asks a lot of every player, probably more than any other team," he added.
"No matter if you’re tight-five, you have to have class hands, you have to be able to add value in the tackle.
"You’re never out of the game for a phase, you’re always adding value somewhere.
"You’re challenged no matter what position. You have to have world-class skills."
The high productivity could partly be down to the nervous energy of the occasion.
For many of the Irish players it was a World Cup debut, while for McCarthy it was just a fourth international cap, and his first where he’s started in what would be considered to be a first-choice pack.
"I was very nervous to be honest, the most nervous I’ve felt in a while before a game. Because it’s the World Cup, there are so many more eyes on it, you’re getting more texts.
"It just feels like a big occasion and you kind of want to put your best foot forward. There were a lot of nerves going into it. I think everybody felt that.
"A bit of nerves is good, it keeps you on your toes.
"It was unbelievable. The fans were crazy, the Irish fans are just buzzing when they travel away.
"It was class, one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever been in."
How McCarthy is used over the coming weeks will be interesting to see.
Some believe his selection on Saturday was a trial run for the third pool game against South Africa, where Andy Farrell may want to have McCarthy involved and bring Tadhg Beirne into the back row, to bulk up the pack.
The opportunity cost of that exchange is bumping one of Josh van der Flier or Peter O’Mahony to the bench, while Jack Conan is likely to be fit and available again by then after his foot injury.
McCarthy says he hasn’t given much thought to what comes later in the tournament, aside from getting better if he’s given the chance.
"I feel that I’ve a lot more in me. I feel settled in the squad, it’s super-tight, and I’m just looking forward to kicking on.
"I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. I feel like I’ve got so much to improve as a player. I feel like every time I come into camp I’m learning from Paul O’Connell and all the world-class players we have and getting better every week. I have miles, miles left (to go).
"Preparing for a World Cup game is different, the distractions going into it, dealing with the crowd and all that. It’ll be great going forward," he added.
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