Joe Schmidt disciples are many now but here’s an important one. Tadhg Furlong’s nine caps include two starts against South Africa and New Zealand. Tendai Mtawarira and Joe Moody, being opposing looseheads, both shook down and sent away with empty pockets.
Furlong is only 24 but his promotion to number-one tighthead has happened, perhaps quicker than expected, perhaps not. The three jersey in Irish rugby tends to stick to whoever wears it. John Hayes. Mike Ross. Ross, seeing out a one-year deal at Leinster, is currently injured. That came after the 36-year-old was overlooked for the November internationals as Schmidt’s gut told him it was time to promote and invest in Furlong, Finlay Bealham and John Ryan.
Trying to build
“It’s mad how stuff just travels for you,” said Furlong. “It just happens really. It is hard to believe I would be in this situation a year ago but when I look back now I know I worked really hard. Just trying to build, build, work every day. I’ve grown well in the scrum but there is a hell of a lot to go to become as consistent as Rossy has been for years.”
All could change quite quickly but for now, and ideally for many seasons, the ever growing, rosy cheeked son of Campile, a village 14km outside New Ross, is entrusted to keep doing what he did so impressively in Chicago.
“I popped in home last weekend ’cause I was off and the place went crazy. I suppose all over the country, if you had somebody involved from your county . . . the rugby public went mad because it was something we’d never achieved before. I always said it would be brilliant to give something back at home; maybe get young fellas in Wexford into the game.”
None of the Furlongs travelled over to Soldier Field in Chicago. “My dad? He just said, fair play. He would be a man of few words. He doesn’t have a mobile phone so he has no way to text you. The mother was on to me, she gave me a Whatsapp saying congratulations.” How did you talk to him? “The landline. You have to ring the landline to get onto him.”
Would you not sort him out for Christmas? "'What do I want a mobile phone for?' he'd say to me." There was a tackle that day on Ben Smith that Reeling in the Years should show along with the Henshaw and Murray tries. "I don't really remember it," he said.
“I just got into the kick chase line and he ran into my channel and I tackled him. I didn’t think it was anything major really. I was a few steps behind Jamie who was a few steps behind Josh, I could nearly have been further up.” Schmidt words from Furlong’s mouth. “I suppose when you’re a prop and there were only five scrums, and there wasn’t one until the 25th minute, you’d be surprised how fresh your legs feel going around the pitch. That contributes to your ability to motor.”
‘In the right position’
There will be plenty more scrums on Saturday. Now he won’t be flogged, well, not for all 80 minutes. That is why Bealham is being brought along, and maybe Ryan.
“When I was growing up and I didn’t realise anything – I just went out and played rugby because I liked doing it.” And he also played Gaelic football for Horeswood (there is 15 seconds of GAA gold on YouTube) and whatever else was going down in Wexford.
“When I came into the [Leinster] academy it got serious. I come from a GAA background so I hate being boxed off as, ‘Oh, you’re a tighthead, you’re not supposed to do that or do this.’ I mark myself with the rest of them. Looseheads are supposed to be more dynamic around the park but I never really got that.”
Speaking of looseheads, Cian Healy went 13m off 17 carries against Canada last Saturday. “I don’t carry a massive amount of ball. There are other guys who are better at that facet of the game than me but I just concentrate on getting in the right position, doing your little roles. If it comes to you it comes to you. Just play what’s in front of you.” We close our eyes and hear scripture. New Testament: Book of Joe.
