Tadhg drives on to last four bout
Leinster to face Clermont
THE PROSPECT of a Lions tour is beckoning even closer for Tadhg Furlong.
While so many players will be keeping their fingers crossed until Warren Gatland names his squad to tour New Zealand this summer, Furlong turned in another towering performance, this time for Leinster in their 32-17 European Cup quarter-final victory over English giants, Wasps, at a packed Aviva Stadium on Saturday week.
And he will be aiming for more of the same when his team travels to France to take on Clermont in the semi-final on Sunday week.
It was a Leinster performance of old as they attacked Wasps at every opportunity which, while leading to some anxious moments, still demonstrated that they are one of the top sides in the competition.
From full-back Joey Carbery right through to the back row of Dan Leavy, Jack Conan and Seán O’Brien, Leinster were breathtaking, as they imposed themselves on the English side from the kickoff, with out-half Johnny Sexton dictating the trend of play despite once again being on the receiving end of so many late tackles.
But Leinster were impressively confident right through this game, with all of the youngsters growing in stature with a display of attacking rugby that destroyed the Wasps, bringing the huge support to their feet with some scintillating play.
In all of this open rugby Furlong acquitted himself superbly. Solid in the set-pieces, he helped in giving Leinster an ideal base in which to attack from, particularly with the back row in such tremendous ball-carrying form, while their defensive skills denied Wasps any real opportunity to impose themselves.
Furlong carried to real effect, making the hard yards and setting up the ball, while his nimble footwork won the approval of the home support.
This was particularly the case on one occasion midway through the first-half when, having gathered a low pass out on the wing, he showed some nimble sidesteps to outwit two Wasps players before setting up a ruck for Leinster to launch their own attack.
He brings a new skill to frontrow play which should have secured that seat on the plane down under.