Easterby claims Tadhg Furlong has 'progressed well' with player in race against clock for France clash

Tadhg Furlong, left, Tom Stewart and Jeremy Loughman during training at Quinta do Lago. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Tadhg Furlong has given Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations preparations a major boost after training fully ahead of Thursday’s night’s round-one opening game against defending champions France.

The tighthead prop’s involvement in Sunday’s session at their training base in Portugal’s training base at The Campus on the Algarve has allayed fears he could miss the championship opener at Stade de France due to a calf injury. 

The Irish medical team have been managing Furlong’s return to fitness conservatively to get the 33-year-old ready for the championship and assistant coach Simon Easterby said there was optimism the three-time British & Irish Lions tourist and Test starter would be ready to go in Paris.

"Today was important and obviously tomorrow will be another important training day, but so far so good," Easterby said.

"He got through some good work, he's progressed really well and we've been happy with the majority of the lads who have been training and some of them have come in with little niggles, but everyone's progressing really well and we had everyone available to train".

It was a full complement of 38 players and the two uncapped training invitees, Connacht second row Darragh Murray and Ulster back row Bryn Ward, which trained in Quinta do Lago on the final full day of Ireland’s pre-championship training camp. 

The squad is scheduled to travel direct to Paris on Monday with head coach Andy Farrell set to announce his team to face the French on Tuesday morning at 8am Irish time.

James Lowe works on his passing at The Campus in Quinta do Lago. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Furlong’s hoped-for availability would ease concerns for the Irish front row following loosehead trio Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle’s inability to join the squad due to injuries. 

Ireland are down to their fourth and fifth choices with Munster due Jeremy Loughman and Mikey Milne next in line while uncapped Connacht 20-year-old Billy Bohan was a last-minute addition for the Portugal camp following Boyle’s injury in the derby with the westerners at Galway’s Dexcom Stadium.

Bohan, along with utility playmaker Ciarán Frawley, and uncapped back-rower Bryn Ward will not travel to Paris on Monday, having left camp on Sunday to join the Ireland XV squad preparing to face England A at Thomond Park this Friday.

That still leaves a 35-man squad including 15 players with 10 Test caps or fewer, including uncapped trio Nathan Doak, the Ulster scrum-half, Munster lock Edwin Edobgo, and Ulster centre Jude Postlethwaite. Easterby has been encouraged by contributions of the less experienced players.

"It's funny, yeah, we've got some young guys in, haven't got as much experience, but the training has been excellent,” the defence coach said.

"The young lads have really stepped up, they've connected up. I guess one of the real strengths of this group, and it has been for the last four or five years, has been guys coming in, we'll get support from the more experienced players and it's up to the young guys to step up as well and they've done that too.

"But the more experienced players have been excellent in the way that they've brought players into the system and that makes it really encouraging, but also makes the training really competitive and it has been.

"Today was a great session. Without it being full contact, it was very good, had a good pace to it, a good bit of physicality and a lot of those youngsters have stepped up in the last week."