Furlong: 'Sometimes in scrummaging there’s no replacement for displacement'

DEFENSIVE STEP UP: Tadhg Furlong during a media conference after the Ireland rugby squad captain's run at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, France. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ireland have been warned they will need to take a big step up defensively when they face an attack-minded Tonga at Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday night (8pm Irish time).

The Six Nations Grand Slam winners won their opening Pool B game at the World Cup with a 12-try, 82-8 rout of rank outsiders Romania in Bordeaux last Saturday but their next assignment looks to be a lot more of a challenge with the Tongans calling on four former All Blacks along their spine of their team, including former Ulster wing Charles Piutau at full-back and ex-Munster centre Malakai Fekitoa.

Tonga’s captain Ben Tameifuna is a former New Zealand Under-20 who forms part of a front-row weighing in at 387 kilogrammes and Irish defence coach Simon Easterby is expecting a testing examination of his side’s credentials.

“They've got some of the best open field runners in world rugby,” Easterby said of the Tongans following Friday’s eve of match training session at the stadium.

“They've got guys in the forward pack that can mix it, they can offload. We've seen them in the URC over the last couple of seasons, a couple of players that play in Wales.

“And then in the backline, they've got attacking threats throughout their backline. It's a real challenge for us defensively, it's one that we're probably ready for after the Romania game. 

“We didn't have to get through that much work without the ball. It's going to be a big step up from the challenge Romania threw at us.” 

Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong was asked directly about Ireland’s heavier counterparts in the Tongan front row, weighing in 38kg heavier, almost 13kg per man.

“Sometimes in scrummaging there’s no replacement for displacement,” Furlong said, employing a farming term.

“Weight makes it heavy, it makes it hard, that’s the nature of it and it’s a big challenge from a big pack. We have to be technically good.” 

Ireland arranged a pre-tournament Test against Tonga’s fellow Pacific Islanders Samoa on August 26 in Bayonne to use a run-through for Saturday’s pool game and though Furlong was rested for that game he said there were plenty of lessons from a hard-fought 17-13 victory for Andy Farrell’s team.

“There was a lot to learn in it,” the tighthead said. “They probably came off best in a few contact areas and the rain made it hard. So there’s always stuff that can come out of it but I think the way the lads stuck in there and found a way to get the result was the biggest thing for us.

“We know it’s not easy, nothing’s easy, rugby ain’t easy. It’s just about sticking in there and taking your moments when they come.”