Joey Carbery: 'I'm better than I was treated'

Former Ireland and Munster flyhalf Joey Carbery has heavily implied that he left both the national side and his province on a sour note in an interview with Irish media.

Carbery has left Munster to pursue a career in France with Top 14 heavyweights Bordeaux, who finished third last season.

Once seen as the successor in waiting to Johnny Sexton, Carbery’s career took a slow nose dive after an interprovincial transfer to Munster from Leinster after a significant amount of pressure to move from then Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt, who was eager for the Carbery to get more game time.

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With Sexton at ten, Carbery was often found at 15 for Leinster. With the IRFU understandably keen for the Carbery to spread his wings as a flyhalf, the then 22-year-old agreed to what was one of the most high-profile switches in Irish interprovincial history.

Things, however, didn’t go to plan in Limerick.  Injury initially hampered game time for the New Zealand-born playmaker, before a preference for the emerging talents of both Jack Crowley and Ben Healey eventually left Carbery a third choice at the province.

Now – in an interview with Irish radio station Newstalk – Carbery has confirmed that things didn’t end well at Munster, something many fans would have openly speculated was the case.

“It was kind of at the end of the 2023 season, when I didn’t get picked for the World Cup and the Six Nations [before that].

“I wasn’t enjoying it [rugby] at all and I was like ‘Is it worth it?’ Was it worth all the hard work?

“I suppose I’ve always played my best when I’ve enjoyed it and went into work with a smile on my face. And then I wasn’t enjoying it. I don’t think it [quitting rugby] was ever a realistic option as I had a year left on my contract with Munster.

“I had an inkling that I had another few options coming up where I could get a fresh start.”

Carbery says he is now eager to ‘prove people wrong’ upon his reassignment to the southwest of France.

“I do think I’m better for it, I do think this opportunity has come around and I don’t think it would have had that not happened.

“I’m only 28 so I’m trying to use this as a springboard to kick-start everything again and kind of prove people wrong.

“I do think that I’m better than the way I was treated, so hopefully I will prove people wrong.”