Hidden talent Tadhg Furlong makes top 10 best players in the world

When the magazine Rugby World published their list of the best players in the world at the start of January, only one Irishman made the top 10.

It was not the imperious scrum-half Conor Murray, nor was it his supremely talented half-back partner Johnny Sexton.

Instead, it was tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong.

Around 12 months ago it would have been difficult to predict such a scenario, but after the year Furlong has just had such recognition is richly deserved.

The prop started all of Ireland’s Six Nations matches in 2017, while he was also ever-present for the Lions as they drew a three-match Test series with New Zealand.

Domestically Furlong excelled too and he was recently nominated for the European Player of the Year due to his exploits for Leinster.

It all makes for a meteoric rise that few could have foreseen. But, having been at Leinster as a young Furlong made his way through the ranks, Mike Ross is one man who isn’t surprised by the 24-year-old’s progress.

“When I saw him coming up through the ranks I knew he was going to be very good. For me, he is the best tighthead in the world at the moment,” says former prop Ross, who won 61 caps for Ireland as well as two European cups with Leinster during his playing career.

“I knew he was going to be a phenomenal talent when I first saw him. If I had to lose the jersey to someone he is not a bad person to lose out to.”

Furlong has spoken in the past about the role Ross has had on his career, with the former tighthead mentoring him as he made his way up the ladder.

As Ross points out, if he was going to give up his Ireland and Leinster jerseys for anyone then he can at least rest easy in the fact there is no-one who could have stopped Furlong’s rise.

Indeed that is often the case on the pitch too, as demonstrated by the prop’s now famous run during Ireland’s win over New Zealand in November 2016, where he bounced off tackles from Owen Franks, Brodie Retallick, and Kieran Read. The moment has been immortalised by several YouTube clips, with one upload dubbing Furlong ‘The Battering Ram’.

However, aside from those conspicuous carries, a prop’s work can often be missed.

The dirty work done in the scrum or at the breakdown is not as easy to spot as a winger scoring a stunning try, for example.

It perhaps explains why Furlong was omitted from World Rugby’s Player of the Year nominations for 2017 and indeed why no prop has ever been nominated for the award in its 17-year history.

However, as a fellow tighthead, could Ross see in training all those years ago what others may miss when watching in the stands?

“You get an idea,” says Ross. “Every young prop will have good days and bad days, but they have to learn from it, keep going forward, and don’t get discouraged.

“Tadhg was always like that. Of course, he would do stuff in training and you’d be going: ‘You shouldn’t really be doing that you are a tight head.’”

Furlong has carried forward those memorable moments in training into the way he plays today and his work in the loose typifies the new breed of front row players.

No longer are those at the top simply picked upon their ability at scrum time, instead their manner of skills stretches further than that — as also shown by the likes of England prop Mako Vunipola and New Zealand hooker Dane Coles.

“It is a bit disgraceful really,” jokes Ross. “It is disgusting watching it. We should probably tell them that they are front row forwards. But that is kind of what academies are starting to turn out now.

“Guys are watching stuff on TV realising scrummaging can’t be the only thing they do. They have to add other factors to their game if they want to get that jersey.”

Just as he had to do when he took it from Ross, someone is going to have to work very hard to wrestle the number three shirt off Furlong.

Despite having already achieved an incredible amount, including two wins over the All Blacks, Furlong is still developing and he will undoubtedly add many more Ireland caps to the 19 he has amassed so far.

“The scary thing is he is only 24,” says Ross. “I mean I think a prop’s best years are 25, 26, 27 as they grow into their heads. I don’t know what sort of ceiling he is going to have.”