They’re coming for him.
Tadhg Furlong knows it. The Lions know it. The Kiwis are planning it so each of them would want to damned well know it too.
It is a fact of life for many tightheads but for a 24-year-old who only started his first Test match a year ago, it will come in torrents.
Among the excitement of Peter O’Mahony being named Test captain and Sean O’Brien staving off Sam Warburton, the inclusions of Furlong and Conor Murray in Warren Gatland’s XV pretty much went unnoticed. Murray is one of the best of the world in his position. Furlong isn’t far off and a successful Test series may elevate him further.
On The Hard Yards rugby podcast [from 13:00], former Ireland international Kevin McLaughlin spoke of Furlong’s journey through the Leinster ranks but cautioned that the All Blacks would be coming for him.
“It’s an amazing story,” Mclaughlin commented, “and I think we talked about it before – if Marty Moore hadn’t went to Wasps would Tadhg be here today? Probably not, because Marty and Rossy [Mike Ross] were ahead of him at Leinster.
“Marty went away [to Wasps], Tadhg got his chance, took it and he hasn’t looked back since.”
With his eye on the First Test at Eden Park, McLaughlin continued:
“It’s a huge test for him because Joe Moody – he got on the right side of the [penalty] decisions against the Crusaders – but, ultimately, Joe Moody did look like he was outmuscling him at the scrum. I can guarantee you that they’re going to target him.
“Moody and [All Blacks hooker] are going to do a pincer on him and try to disrupt him and put him under huge pressure. It’s probably the biggest test of his life, to go into this game and try hold parity.”
While ‘targeting’ and ‘pincer’ may sound pretty nefarious, it is all part of the scrummaging dark arts. Retired Ireland tighthead Mike Ross, who was Furlong’s mentor for the past few years, very often had to deal with looshead and hooker going at him while the likes of Rory Best and Jack McGrath did likewise to his opposite number. It’s very often your lot if you wear that No.3 jersey.
Isaac Boss, who also played with Furlong at Leinster noted that Furlong is ‘the odd man out’ in both front rows, as Mako Vunipola and Jamie George are both Saracens and England colleagues while New Zealand have gone with an all Crusaders front three.
“The Lions will be up against it,” he said. “It will be an interesting dynamic to see how it unfolds.”
