Back in blue: Furlong and co are focused on European matters again.

Back in blue: Furlong and co are focused on European matters again.

TADHG FURLONG DESCRIBES himself as an Instagram ‘newbie’ but a cursory glance at his account provides an illustration of how good life is for the Leinster man at the moment.

From diving with sharks in South Africa, making history in Chicago and then beating Australia in Dublin, it has been a pretty memorable few months for Furlong. All part of a prop’s life.

It wasn’t so long ago that Furlong was seen as a more-than-useful impact player, used frequently off the bench when Mike Ross ran out of steam in both the blue of Leinster and Irish green.

Now, there’s growing calls for a Lions inclusion and it’s not without substance.

The 24-year-old has developed into an outstanding operator at tighthead and his performances on the international stage in 2016 have elevated his career to the next level.

He was superb against the All Blacks in Chicago and backed that performance up with similarly impressive displays in the return fixture and the victory over the Wallabies.

“It was pretty satisfying looking back,” he tells The42. “Chicago really sticks out in the mind, it was disappointing to lose the second game against New Zealand, no one likes to be second best but I thought we came out against Australia in difficult circumstances and hung in there and ground out a really good result.

“I got a bit more game time in the number three jersey and managed to put three starts together and got some minutes under my belt. Happy with that, happy to be injury free and happy to keep building.”

Even coming off the back of the biggest weeks of his young career, Furlong doesn’t allow himself to get carried away by it all. Yes, he has made giant strides but there is still a lot of work to be done.

A few days off last week were spent recharging the batteries and refocusing ahead of another big set of games, this time on provincial duty — but he was back to work straight away to prepare for the next challenge.

“When the games come thick and fast, you can’t really stand still and wait or look back,” he continued. “You have to be always looking forward. The games are coming thick and fast and they’re all high-quality. They’re really important to perform in.

“You have to keep trucking. Because I’m young and still finding my feet a little bit you can never be happy in your skin because there’s a hell of a lot more gears left. You’re always looking for the perfect performance and it can a hard search at times and you tweak one part of your game or focus on one part and then it goes down hill for you.

“So I’m just trying to find my feet, find a balance and keep trucking and looking for a really good performance because it’s tempting to focus on what has happened.

“At the end of the season you can look back on the good things you did but during the season it’s really important to keep building.”

Furlong’s attitude both on and off the pitch is commendable, and the waves he has made at international level is no surprise when you consider his approach to the game.

Furlong has been in superb form. Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

His ascent to the lofty heights he now finds himself may have seemed like a rapid rise but Furlong has been ‘trucking away’ in the background for some time, gradually strengthening his game and working hard to become the player he is now.

The New Ross man had to bide his time during the early stages of his career as he watched Ireland U20 team-mates, including Kieran Marmion, Luke Marshall and Andrew Conway, break through and make their first steps in the pro ranks.

A Leinster senior debut finally arrived in November 2013 and a year later he made the step up from the academy to Matt O’Connor’s squad.

“To be honest with you I haven’t changed a massive amount,” Furlong says of progressing through the ranks. “Just keep ticking along, keep trying to improve. There’s been no major breakthrough moment or anything like that.

“It just sort of happened really, I wouldn’t say there’s been one big major work on or one big incident that caused me to perform better. I wouldn’t think so.

“I made my Leinster debut when I was 20 and have 50-odd caps now so I’ve been ticking along in the background. I’ve been to a World Cup, involved in a Six Nations, went to a summer tour in South Africa.

“But I still think there’s a hell of a lot to keep developing. Bit of time in the jersey and consistency has definitely helped me. I’m still young so I’m still learning. There’s a new Strength and Conditioning coach [Charlie Higgins] that came in with Leinster there and he’s big on running and a lot of speed work and change of direction.

“They’re really vital parts of the game with regards to tackle entry and rucking so I think that’s brought a bit to my game.”

It's back to business with Leinster this week. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

Furlong is expected to return to the Leinster front row for Friday’s trip to Franklin’s Gardens to face Northampton Saints.

With one win and a bonus point defeat from their opening two Champions Cup games, the eastern province are sitting top of Pool 4 heading into the back-to-back fixtures against the English side.

But the Irish international is under no illusions of the size of the task Leo Cullen’s men will be under over the next two weekends, particularly up front.

“You’re playing against Northampton who have one of the best scrums in England and if you’re not quite at it you’re going to get your arse handed to you and that’s just the fact of it,” Furlong admitted.

“They’ve had a bit of an up and down season, they have internationals coming back for them off the back of a huge year for England. It’s a huge challenge for us, especially our scrum and that’s my primary focus as a tighthead so it’s going to be a hell of a challenge.

“It’s really exciting, we’re really disappointed with how Europe went for us last year and these games aren’t season-defining but they’re very, very big games in their own right.

“We’d like to go to Northampton to bring something back to the Aviva. I think we’re all very excited about what’s happened at Leinster this season.”

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