'I probably won't play for the Lions again. I want this to be a good memory'

The 42

6 days ago

EVEN THOUGH HE jokes that he'd prefer if Tadhg Furlong wasn't starting for the Lions tomorrow, Joe Schmidt has as much respect for the Wexford man's achievement as anyone else.
Starting nine Lions Tests in a row in a magnificent feat, all the more so in a position as demanding as tighthead prop.
At the age of 32, Tadhg Furlong is already a great of Irish rugby, even if being a prop means he won't be as regularly mentioned as others in those kinds of discussions. And the Leinster man's status as a Lions legend is now well beyond debate.
'He's such a gifted player and such a good character,' said Wallabies boss Schmidt, who was the Leinster head coach when Furlong joined the province.
'The first time I met him, he came in with his Mum and Dad with Collie McEntee, who was coaching the Leinster academy. I was coaching there, and he got brought into the office and introduced himself. He blocked the sun briefly, and those shoulders haven't got any smaller since.
'He's certainly an impressive young man and a world-class player, so if he wants a day off on Saturday I'd be happy to see that.'
Schmidt remembers tough times for Furlong at the start, initially due to injuries and then the kind of teething problems that any young prop faces in professional rugby.
Ireland's tour of South Africa in 2016 was 'a baptism of fire' for Furlong at scrum time, recalled Schmidt, but he soon began to thrive and by 2017, he was the Lions' first-choice tighthead.
Furlong and Schmidt with Ireland in 2017. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Schmidt gave Furlong his Ireland debut in 2015 and benefited massively from the Wexford man's 'multi-purpose' ability in the years that followed.
'I'll never forget the deft little offload he gave to Bundee Aki to go through a gap to give CJ Stander a try at Twickenham [in 2018],' said Schmidt.
'Those skills he has with the ball, his ability to carry himself, and he's very good, quite dynamic in the defensive line.
'We were here [in Australia] on tour in 2018 and I remember David Pocock was just about to decide to get over the ball and Tadhg Furlong put him back a couple of metres from the ball.
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'He's a pretty well-rounded, literally well-rounded, character.'
Furlong himself would probably laugh at that last tongue-in-cheek comment from Schmidt. He has always come across as someone with an endearing, self-depracating humour.
Not that he's not entirely serious about his craft. Furlong's work ethic and resilience have helped him to get to this point of a huge achievement with the Lions.
He is a smart rugby player, someone whose role in the Ireland and Lions leadership groups isn't about shouting and roaring, but more about providing calm messages and contributing to discussions around how the team should play. Not all tighthead props are as tactically aware as Furlong.
Even the way he describes how he has had to change with the game across three Lions tours illustrates that.
'Rugby was so different back then,' said Furlong of his first tour in 2017.
'You're around the corner, you're just working hard and then the game kind of got into one-out carriers and I found my mould there.
Furlong celebrates the Lions' second Test win. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
'Then the game changed to more of a pass and options at the line and it kind of changed my game.
'And it's changed in a way to a hybrid of all of them at the minute, I feel. So, you try to change your game as the game changes.'
Many people doubted that Furlong would get to this point where he has started all three of the Tests on this tour.
That was down to the recurring hamstring and calf issues he had all season, meaning he only played once for Ireland and eight times for Leinster.
But Furlong always had faith he would be right for the Lions tour.
'It wasn't a big enough injury to warrant it,' said Furlong.
'It was like, we need to get back and play here, lads, because it's on your calendar. You want it so badly. I think the cruel thing is when you go on one, you just want to go on more. You go on that first one, and you take it all in.
'The second one is kind of like you want to perform and the third one, you just want to appreciate it all because you don't want it to pass you by, you know that kind of way?
'There was a stage this season where we were having conversations with medical staff. It's like, 'What is going on here? We need to nip this stuff in the bud.'
They managed to do that, and Furlong has thrived. Lions boss Andy Farrell had faith that the experienced tighthead would deliver on the big occasions.
Furlong at the Lions captain's run today. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Furlong has been rooming with Ireland and Leinster team-mate Thomas Clarkson this week as the latter continues to gain valuable experience while remaining on tour with Farrell's men.
There's no one better for Clarkson to be learning from. Furlong is still only 32 and he'll hope that this tour is only the start of a period of better luck on the injury front.
But he senses that tomorrow's Test will be his final one for the Lions.
'I'm not going to say I won't, I probably won't… I probably won't play for the Lions again.
'It's been very good to me. It's been very good to my career. You want to play well in it.
'I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind us. Without being clinical about it, you want to give the best version of yourself to it.
'Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.'