Furlong in the frame as Lions gear up for Argentina challenge

The 42

6 hours ago

SOME PEOPLE HAVE found it hard to imagine Tadhg Furlong making the Lions Test series in Australia. Andy Farrell doesn't appear to have been among them.
It's not that Furlong's quality as a player has been in doubt. It's just that some supporters worry that the 32-year-old's body will let him down.
The Leinster and Ireland tighthead prop has had a frustrating season so far, with calf and hamstring injuries limiting him to just 373 minutes of game time for province and country. He managed only one appearance for Ireland and eight for Leinster.
Furlong hasn't played since 17 May, missing Leinster's run-in to the URC title, but he now appears to be in the frame for the Lions as they prepare to face Argentina on Friday night in Dublin.
Furlong trained with the Lions in the sun at UCD yesterday and the fact that 20-year-old tighthead Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who was in as cover for the past week, has left the Lions group is clearly a positive sign about the Lions' confidence in Furlong's fitness.
Indeed, word is that Furlong was close to making a return for Leinster, having resumed training with the province. In the end, they opted to continue with Thomas Clarkson and Rabah Slimani as their tightheads for the URC final against the Bulls.
So the Wexford man's latest comeback will instead take place in a red jersey. He joins Irish team-mate Finlay Bealham and England's Will Stuart as the tighthead options in Farrell's Lions squad.
Bealham has impressed for Ireland in Furlong's absences over the last few seasons, while Stuart brings good form into Lions camp, but neither of them have Furlong's pedigree. The Leinster man started all six of the Lions Tests on the last two tours and Farrell would love to have him fully firing by the time the Wallabies clashes roll around.
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Hugo Keenan and James Ryan at training yesterday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
There is also a positive sense around Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan, the other two Leinster Lions who missed the URC final with injury, meaning Farrell has not needed to call up additional players this week.
With Opoku-Fordjour and Jamie George having now left Lions camp after filling in for the past week, Farrell is working with just his main 38-man squad. Bealham has replaced the injured Zander Fagerson for the tour, but the Lions boss must be relieved and even a bit surprised that others weren't cut down by injury since he named his touring group.
It had been expected that Farrell would bring in a few extra bodies this week beyond that 38, but it hasn't proven to be the case.
The fun really begins on Friday night with the first warm-up clash with the Pumas, four weeks before the first Test against the Wallabies. Farrell will be looking for a fast start given how few chances there are for players to state their case before the Test series.
He pushed the 22 squad members who were in camp at Quinta do Lago last week very hard indeed, culminating in a training match against Portugal followed by a big squad night out.
'The only rule is there are no rules,' Farrell told his players before they let their hair down.
He demanded lots of them in the days prior, with a huge amount of learning off the pitch and high-tempo sessions on it.
England back row Ben Earl said it was 'probably the highest standard of training I've ever been involved in.' And now, the Lions have added 12 players from URC champions Leinster, two from Premiership champions Bath, and another from English finalists Leicester to get that quality even higher.
The big group of Irish players know Farrell's coaching style well, of course, but the players he's working with for the first time have been impressed.
Lions captain Maro Itoje speaks to the squad. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
'He's someone that I'd really looked up to, someone that is, I'd go as far as to say, a legend of the Lions for some of the coaching stuff he's done,' said Earl.
'Just already, the knowledge he's imparted to us in terms of what he wants from us is amazing.
'I'd heard how good a coach he was, how good he is in terms of getting the environment and the tone of the week right, so all the stuff I'd heard about how good he was have borne fruits, I guess.
'I've seen that in person for the first time and really impressed by him and looking forward to working with him.'
With a full squad on board, the Lions players will be designated touring duties as part of things like the social committee, fines committee, and so on.
Having played Argentina on Friday, the Lions will leave for Australia in two big batches on Saturday. One party will fly direct from London to Perth, while the others will have a stopover en route.
Their first game Down Under is against the Western Force in Perth on 28 June, giving them time to acclimatise. From then on, it'll be a whirlwind of games nearly every three days.
This week in the Dublin sun is the calm before the storm.