Tadhg key figure as Ireland end on a high
Furlong shines for Ireland
ANOTHER TOWERING weekend performance propelled Tadhg Furlong towards a place in Warren Gatland’s Lions squad for the summer tour down under to New Zealand.
Coming on the back of a solid display against Wales eight days earlier, Furlong surpassed all previous showings with a magnificent performance against the highly-powered England front row.
As Ireland denied England the Grand Slam with a towering 13-9 victory in the cauldron of the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, Furlong was magnificent all through, emptying the tank before being called ashore after 76 minutes.
There was something special about Furlong’s display, and Joe Schmidt left him carry the front row charge for almost the entire 80 minutes of a torrid game in the rain.
Even when England introduced players from a big and experienced bench, Furlong and Peter O’Mahony were left to ease their own side’s replacements into the game and take on the England challenge. They not alone survived but were attacking the English line through those tense final minutes.
Winning his 15th cap, Furlong put those few handling errors against Wales behind him. With the scrum a real arm wrestle, his performance was one of strength and intensity in the tight, while his tackle count and carries for a front row in such tough conditions stamped him out as a serious Lions contender.
He has all the ability and technique to become a world-class prop as he has grown in stature through the autumn internationals and the Six Nations.
Despite the torrid nature of the scrums, Furlong’s workrate never ceased through the pitch. While he always gave the Irish scrum real impetus, his tackle count was ten, while metres gained in the tackle came to five.
It was a huge weekend for Wexford players on the international front.
While England won the Under-20 Grand Slam with a narrow 14-10 victory over Ireland at Donnybrook on Friday, two Wexford players were introduced as replacements.
Former Wexford Wanderers duo Jack Stafford - now playing with Shannon - and former Bridgetown V.C. student, Greg McGrath, came into the game in the second-half, adding to Wanderers’ collection of internationals.
Former Gorey player Willie Earle, now with Lansdowne, along with Tony Ryan, now of Clontarf and formerly of Enniscorthy, were in the Ireland Clubs pack when they lost to England on Friday.
On the women’s front, former Wexford Vixens player, Katie Fitzhenry, has continued to play an important role with the Ireland sevens squad in a number of recent international tournaments.
Her contract with the international sevens saw her miss out on the Six Nations as they lost their Grand Slam game with England on Friday.