Leinster's Joe McCarthy keen to 'turn the page' on World Cup heartache

Joe McCarthy doesn't believe the nature of Ireland's World Cup defeat to New Zealand will lead to lingering regrets.

The 22-year-old lock is among a number of Leinster players who will come back into contention for BKT United Rugby Championship duty as the province prepare to take on the Dragons in Newport on Sunday.

After a mandatory three-week lay-off, Leinster yesterday reported a clean bill of health and said they will assess their international players on a case-by-case basis to determine who's involved over the coming weeks.

Despite an impressive four-game winning streak in the pool stages, Ireland came up short in the quarter-final against New Zealand, bowing out on a 28-24 scoreline.

For some reason, Andy Farrell's side were not able to reach the heights that they hit in wins over Scotland, and in particular, South Africa, who went on to retain their title.

"Every game like that is going to sting and you don't forget it quickly but I don't really think it was a case of a mental block for a quarter-final or anything," McCarthy told RTÉ Sport.

"We weren't on 100% for a big game and if you are like that against quality opposition, it's always going to be tough so I don't think it's much different to another knock-out game really."

For many supporters the World Cup hangover was extended as they had to endure two weeks of watching as England, Argentina, the All Blacks and the Springboks battle on.

McCarthy, who won his fifth cap as a replacement in the loss to New Zealand, admitted it was a difficult period.

"Yeah, I watched the games," he said. "They were definitely tough watching, knowing you could have been there.

"It was definitely a tough period. It's kind of how it is after you lose a big game and you're out of a