“If they stay fit, Leinster can absolutely go on to win the Heineken Cup.”
Last weekend – before Omicron came along and completely tilted sport on its’ ass – I got along to see Tadhg Furlong, Rónan Kelleher and Andrew Porter in action, against Bath.
‘To Leinster, and Ireland, this front row are now what Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are to Liverpool,’ I gushed. ‘Porter’s effortless switch to loosehead and Kelleher kicking on to the already world-class Tadhg Furlong mean both sides are a suddenly different prospect altogether.’
Over on BT Sport, former Bath and England prop David Flatman put it better than I ever could. Looking back on how Leinster’s front row forwards have started the season, Flatman singled out Furlong for massive praise.
Tadhg Furlong has not missed a beat after returning from a back injury that kept him out of the start of last season. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)Strong case for Tadhg Furlong to be in world’s top three
Ask around the rugby world for a starting tighthead in a World XV and close to 90% will select Furlong. The Wexford native is at the top of his game, and has been for the past five years.
On BT, as Flatman pored over footage from that Bath game, the former England star declared, “Leinster’s front row is an absolute joke.
“Whatever world-class is [classified as], every player in their front row is exactly that. Tadhg Furlong is not the best rugby player in the world – Antoine Dupont deservedly got that title – but, for me, he’s certainly top three, or top five.
“Andrew Porter has just casually switched from tighthead to loosehead at top, elite level. That takes some doing but he’s doing brilliantly well. Kelleher is absolutely turbo-charged. Every time he carries the ball, he’s more than a handful.
“Their number of involvements, work-rate, contributions are huge. The power, the accuracy, the talent, the conditioning. They are a front row that has it all.”
Porter 🔷 Kelleher 🔷 Furlong
QUESTION: Do @leinsterrugby have the best front row on the planet? 🤔#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/GsnAX1P33F
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 15, 2021
Flatman went so far as to predict Leinster would be right in the trophy hunt if those front row forwards stayed on the park.
Those comments were made before Covid cases in the Leinster camp saw them have to forfeit their Champions Cup pool game against Montpellier, but the province are going to appeal that decision.
Even if the EPCR hold firm on that harsh judgement, Leinster should have enough to beat Montpellier [home] and Bath [away] next month to march on to the knock-out stages.
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