FURLONG IS READY FOR BLACKLASH

TADHG FURLONG and his fellow Irish Lions know what is coming on Saturday. They’ve had to face the brutality of a ‘Blacklash’ before and it was a gruelling experience. Last November, Ireland stunned the All Blacks with a Test victory against them — after 111 years of trying — when they beat Steve Hansen’s side 40-29 in Chicago. Two weeks later, New Zealand exacted a brutal revenge as they won 21-9 in a bad-tempered contest in Ireland. New Zealand’s wounded pride was laid bare. Seemingly driven by a primal fury, they battered their hosts into submission — legally and illegally. Referee Jaco Peyper’s performance came in for scrutiny and criticism as he sin-binned two of the visitors, Malakai Fekitoa and Aaron Smith, but failed to take any action against Sam Cane for an early shoulder charge into Robbie Henshaw’s head. All three of those All Blacks are in the squad this week as they gear up for a response to last Saturday’s defeat to the Lions, which has left this Test series on a knife-edge going into the decider at Eden Park in four days’ time. Hansen’s men are ‘angry’ and under pressure, and the tourists are braced for the whirlwind. Furlong, the Leinster prop, is aware of what awaits. ‘They’re in a similar position as we were, where your pride is dented,’ he said. ‘It’s a Test series, they’re going to be absolutely bulling for it. I don’t think they’ll massively change what they’re doing. ‘They’ll try to physically come back at us which is the same in every Test — especially that match in Dublin. ‘It was one of the most brutal Test matches I’ve played in. So I think everyone will expect that and tee themselves up for it.’ Furlong described the early stages of the series opener as a ‘dogfight’ against a ferocious onslaught from their hosts. They will have to endure more of the same in the decider, although the Irish tighthead is also mindful of New Zealand’s fabled attacking flair, which has not been evident thus far. ‘I think you always fear the All Blacks,’ said Furlong. ‘If you don’t get your stuff sorted, if you don’t man up and meet them head-on, it’s a tough day at the office. ‘They can score a try from anywhere they’re that dangerous. They have threats all over the park. If none of that works they’re just so damn consistent; good at holding on to the ball.’ Most players go through their Test careers without savouring a Kiwi scalp. Furlong is different. He has faced the All Blacks four times in his first 18 international appearances and has won two, lost two. He was part of Ireland’s glory in Chicago and agony in Dublin, before starting both Tests here with the Lions. And the 24-year-old recognises his record against New Zealand puts him in a small category. ‘I’m incredibly lucky,’ he said. ‘When we were playing in Chicago, lads had lost five or six times and I’d never played them. I didn’t know what to expect. Knowing so many people had gone before and never beaten them — you feel incredibly lucky in many ways. You feel privileged. And to do it twice, even more so.’