The final Furlong is so tough
IT was on July 8 last summer that Tadhg Furlong’s 2016-17 season ended with the Lions’ draw against the All Blacks.
If he goes to Australia with Ireland for the upcoming summer tour, his 2017-18 campaign could finish on June 23.
And remember, next year is a World Cup year.
There must come a time when the players, as well looked after as they are in the Irish system, are simply shattered.
“There is,” conceded Furlong, “the Irish system is great but we still play a decent amount of rugby - I think I’m on 21 games this season so it’s not as if you’re completely in cotton wool the whole time.
“There are challenging times within a season. You find after a November series, coming into the Christmas when it’s so hectic, you need to manage your body.
“You need to be smart about how you mentally refresh yourself after a Six Nations.
“You have a week off and then you’re straight into a Champions Cup final. That’s a tough period, to come down off such a high and you’re carrying a few niggles and your body is tired.
“To ramp that back up, that can be tough. I didn’t play against Connacht and we had two days’ training last week which was nice leading in.
“You get a bit of time to as much physically but also mentally rest and relax as well.
“This isn’t the week to think about it but it’s nice to get clarity about when you have down time a few weeks in advance, so you’re not left twiddling your thumbs.
“You can go away and maximise that down time, so that you can mentally relax and get out of the bubble and do what different players do to switch off.”