TADHG FURLONG JUST might be Ireland’s most influential player. There’s a strong argument that he’s the best tighthead in the world.
These things are all subjective, of course, but one thing that we can say with some certainty is that the Leinster prop won’t get caught up in the hype following his latest eye-catching display, another afternoon of producing plays that Irish props used to only dream about.
He was at it again against Wales last Saturday, throwing an audacious offload in the direction of Johnny Sexton as Ireland looked to build on an early 7-0 lead. It didn’t take long for the pass to do the rounds on social media, the latest in a long line of clippable moments from a prop forward who now causes as much damage with ball in hand as he does around the set-piece.
“Look, I’ve been playing rugby since I was four or five, so I’d want to be able to pass the ball a metre, wouldn’t I?” Furlong says, keen to play down his characterisation as play-maker extraordinaire.
“I suppose it’s the way it’s gone really. You have to be able to throw your hand at it. In terms of the game itself, it’s only a small part of it. Everyone is pushed to practise it and be good at it because it’s a big part of the game now.”
3️⃣ things that are sure in life:
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 5, 2022
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Tadhg Furlong producing outrageous skills #GuinnessSixNations #IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/mow2bubk9a
Still, not many prop forwards show the same silky hands that Furlong now produces on a regular basis.
“Yeah, but you can’t do it on your own, you know? Like, ‘rugby player passes the ball’, yeah – but I’ve been passing the ball since I was four. So, I should in theory be able to do it. I suppose it’s the detail in the way that you do it that probably makes the difference though.
You’re always practising your catch-pass, etc etc. There is no excuse for being a prop and not doing that nowadays. It’s just deliberate practise on-pitch in training, there’s a little bit of stress in defences and things like that. It challenges your decision-making. I suppose in theory every time you take to the field, you practise it.”
Furlong’s skillset makes him the perfect player for Andy Farrell’s system – a dynamic, athletic forward capable of making a difference on both sides of the ball. In terms of defence, that boils down to work rate and discipline. In attack, in involves playing what you see and backing yourself. At the heart of it all is the ability to make good decisions under pressure.
Furlong explains his thought process around that offload to Sexton.
“I suppose every team has their general shape but a 10 will call it out the back if he wants it, if he sees the space early or whatever,” he says.
Then there is a little bit of detail in it really. Anyone can do it really, but the trick is to do it well. If you can do it at the line and sit down defenders, etc, there is a knock-on effect. There is a little bit in it, you’re just trying to get a nice catch and try stay square really. If the right option is to tip it on the inside or outside or carry yourself, you have to be able to do that too.”
That’s the fancy stuff covered, but the two-time British and Irish Lion wouldn’t be where he is if he wasn’t excelling when it comes to the bread and butter of his job.
Ireland’s scrum hasn’t been overly troubled over the course of their current nine-game winning run, but Furlong outlines that it’s still a work in progress given the new-look front row – which also includes Leinster teammates Andrew Porter and Rónan Kelleher – haven’t actually played a huge amount of rugby together, with Porter only making the switch back from tighthead to loosehead earlier this season.
“It’s big at the minute,” Furlong says of the work being done around the Ireland scrum.
“With me, Ports and Ro, we haven’t spent massive amounts of time in the saddle together, know what I mean? It’s about trying to get onto the same page, finding a solution in game, that kind of stuff. It’s just trying to get that cohesion and stuff, we’re spending a lot of time on that at the minute, we’re figuring each other out.
Scrummaging is a funny aul thing in terms of your feel. You have to feel right going into it, and if it’s a little bit off, it can be a bit shaky, stuff like that. That’s a lot of the time and effort at the minute, trying to work with your back five and bring it all together. It’s not a one-man thing, it’s just not.”
Today, Furlong will board a plane pointed at Paris ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with France. The scrum is something of a sacred art to the French, and Furlong remembers being under the cosh as a 23-year-old at the Stade de France back in 2016.
On that occasion, France coach Guy Novès kept the powerful duo of Rabah Slimani and Eddy Ben Arous in reserve until the second half, the pair then helping France enjoy some major scrum dominance in the early stages of the second half. France went on win that game 10-9, the scoreline a reflection of an ugly, scrappy encounter.
“Do you know what, it was probably inexperience,” Furlong says when asked about that 2016 defeat, a fixture which represented just his fifth Test cap.
“Like, playing in France is different. The travel is that bit longer… everything is different about playing in France and then the experience of it as well. Then you’re under your posts with three or four five-mere scrums. That probably doesn’t help either.
“You always hear when you’re younger that it takes a while for props to learn and it’s only when you’re a little bit older that you realise how true it is.
“You see it in the young fellas coming up as well, it takes time, they need to experience different things. Not just scrums but playing in different parts of the world. It wasn’t something I realised at the time but you understand looking back what everyone is on about.”
“I don’t want to blow it up too much either because it’s not as if we conceded penalty tries or anything. The scrum pretty much collapsed onto the ground and the ref pinged us but the scrum is such a personal thing to a front rower. It’s the most important thing. Everyone talks about everything else, this and that, but if you can’t scrummage you’re no good to anyone. It’s your primary job. If it doesn’t go well it’s a tough day.
“I always say that scrummaging is the best thing in the world if it’s going well, but by God you’ll stay awake at night when it doesn’t.”
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