THE GOOD NEWS is that Tadhg Furlong’s dad, James, now has a mobile phone so he’s able to give his son a shout whenever he needs to.
You might remember that back in 2016 when Furlong was in the process of establishing himself as a world-class tighthead, his old man was still eschewing society’s love of being contactable at all times. Eventually, he gave in about three years ago.
“Do you know one of those phones, they’re for grandmothers really, with the big buttons,” explained Furlong yesterday.
“He’s after breaking two or three, he’s on the third one now. I just buy them on Amazon for him. The first question he asked me was, ‘Can I watch the horse-horsing on that?’
“You can’t, you can get an SOS direct though with the button on the back.”
The new phone means James can contact his son about rugby and life. There was cause for that after Furlong was named as Ireland captain for the first time in his professional career. He’ll lead his country against Fiji on Saturday.
When he sat down for a press conference yesterday afternoon, Furlong hadn’t even had time to call his parents with the news. He found out as late in the week as everyone else. But he had no doubt there would be pride in the Furlong household and all around Campile, New Ross, and its surrounds.
“I just had a feed and was watching a bit of video before I came down here and the phone started hopping,” said Furlong. “I didn’t realise that they [the IRFU] put it out. The phone is hopping.”
So he hadn’t had time to think about what his ascension to the Ireland captaincy means either. Furlong joked that he only got the gig by a “process of elimination” with Andy Farrell making plenty of changes to his team this week, but his latest achievement will serve as inspiration for lots of young players around the country.
We’re talking about the young players who aren’t rising through the ranks of the best rugby schools. The ones taking the most inspiration will be from villages like Campile and other places that aren’t known as rugby strongholds. Rugby clubs just like New Ross RFC will take heart from this.
Let’s put it bluntly here – Furlong is not the stereotype of an Irish rugby player. It’s a good thing that a person like him is an Ireland captain.
Furlong rejects the suggestion that he is an inspiration but he does appreciate that his journey has been unique. He himself has followed others’ pathways.
“I can understand it because I was one of them. Shane Horgan would have come through or Seanie [O'Brien].
“I immediately identify with those people because they are from a similar background. John Hayes is the same. It’s easy to identify.
“We’re lucky now that there’s so much more of us coming through, especially in the professional game in general in Ireland. So you don’t have to look all that far anymore, whereas it was only two or three back in my day. It’s more accessible now.
“As it grows and people… it’s not like it’s just Sean O’Brien and Tullow. It would be a Wexford RFC fella looking up to Brian Deeny, who’s playing in Leinster now. It has become far more local than regional where it was before and it’s only good for the game, you know?”
Furlong is relatable for a few reasons. Firstly, he loves spuds. Who doesn’t love spuds?
But so many people warm to Furling because he comes across as genuine when he’s in the public limelight. The 29-year-old is very serious about his rugby craft, but he’s good craic too. He can laugh at himself and make others laugh.
Yesterday’s press conference was a good example. There were no scripted answers or tense comebacks. Furlong was just himself.
“I don’t try to be someone I’m not,” he said. “But then I wouldn’t use social media really at all either. I suppose, just be yourself.
“I always viewed interviews or whatever as a chat more so than throwing party lines out, if that makes sense. Obviously, you have to toe the line with certain things but in general, it’s just being honest. You can never be caught out if you’re honest.”
He said he’s not an emotional person but admits that he is occasionally caught off guard by waves of feeling before his rugby games.
That might be the case again on Saturday for the Fiji game.
“Sometimes it hits you. You think you’re not [emotional] and next thing, in general for a big game and the anthems, and it just catches you.
“I always look up and think, ‘The amount of people here to see us, class’.
“On the way to the game, you see a young fella with a flag and he’s waving at us and it’s the best thing in the world because he’s after seeing the Irish rugby bus. Sometimes a little bit of emotion catches you like that. But it’s not conscious so I don’t know.
“I love the bus on the way in, you know? Everyone’s different. But I love to look, the sirens are on, and you can go past cars and they’re beeping. Or you go past people outside pubs and their arms go up. It’s class. It’s our people. You identify with them.
“As much as you’d love to be them supping a pint of Guinness getting ready for a game when you’re going through absolute hell in your body and your head, knowing what’s ahead of you. You can identify with that if know what I mean. That gets to me.”
It might only be for one game at this point, but Furlong is an inspired choice as Ireland skipper by Farrell.
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