William Shakespeare once observed that some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust about them. Tadhg Furlong can now claim two of the three, having accepted the captaincy for Ireland’s Test match against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (1pm kick-off).
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell sought out the 29-year-old New Ross native on Monday to ascertain whether he would be willing to take on the role. There was only one minor issue, the tighthead prop had to successfully rehabilitate an ankle injury that forced him off in the victory over the Springboks last Saturday.
On Tuesday he completed some unit work and yesterday took a full part in the session. Farrell asked the question again and Furlong acquiesced, delighted and honoured. Part of the senior leadership group, he never entertained the idea that someday he might be captaincy material.
After all the last occasion he was first out of the dressing room door was in captaining an Ireland Under-18 Youths team, the methodology of his leadership borrowed from the fire, brimstone and table banging playbook.
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Furlong hankered after playing for Leinster, Ireland, and the Lions as a kid, but nowhere in the fluffy dreamland did that include captaining the national team. So, what did he dream of? “Spuds. Gravy. The mother’s Sunday roast.”
The laughter has barely subsided when he continued: “It was never on the radar to be honest with you. And look, I know it’s for a game. I know it’s not captaining your country week-in, week-out, but it’s still a class feeling. I know from people back home; they’ll be very proud.”
Furlong doesn’t have to cultivate an understanding of, or reach for, that community identity. He once looked up to Shane Horgan, Sean O’Brien, and John Hayes, who during their time took a road less travelled to international rugby. Thankfully it’s became a more well-trodden pathway in recent years.
He didn’t get a chance to tell his parents before fulfilling media obligations, unaware that the IRFU had confirmed his new status on social media. He’d been watching a video when his phone started to beep incessantly.
He smiled: “The phone is hopping. I am sure they will all be very proud. I suppose it’s a huge part of me, where I’m from and the people that got me there. I think it’s a great reflection on them as well.”
The blood and thunder rhetoric has long ceased to be in vogue. Furlong explained: “People have changed, rugby has changed, in terms of [being] more rounded, holistic environments, and wanting peoples’ opinions, wanting people to be themselves, wanting people to want to learn and not be afraid to ask for advice and be vulnerable a small bit.
“I don’t try to be someone I’m not. I always viewed interviews or whatever as a chat more so than throwing party lines out, if that makes sense? Obviously, you must toe the line with certain things but in general, it’s just being honest. You can never be caught out if you’re honest.
“Different positions, different personalities, everyone sees the game differently. That’s a good thing in terms of there’s no right way to do a lot of things in the world, especially rugby. It’s so nuanced in some parts, so having the ability to question and challenge is good.
“It’s good for your own head, even, thinking about it because I’m, or whoever [is captain] is not always right. It’s a conversation.” Speaking of which he’s already consulted Ireland’s regular captain Johnny Sexton. “I would have talked to Johnny.
“When you’re involved in the leadership group you get an idea of the inner workings of the week, or our lead in to a game with meetings on Thursday and Friday. Faz [Farrell] has been good, and just relying on the 10 and a few of the lineout callers, planning which way they want to go about their business.
Furlong isn’t emotional before matches by rote but there are times when it catches him unawares and his feelings bubble to the surface, during the anthems or en route to a stadium. “On the way to the game, you see a young fella with a flag and he’s waving at us and it’s the best thing in the world because he’s after seeing the Irish rugby bus.
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“Sometimes a little bit of emotion catches you like that. I love to look [out of the bus window], the sirens are on, and you can go past cars and they’re beeping. Or you go past people outside pubs and their arms go up. It’s class. It’s our people. You identify with them.
“As much as you’d love to be them, supping a pint of Guinness getting ready for a game when you’re going through absolute hell in your body and your head, knowing what’s ahead of you, you identify that, know what I mean. That gets to me.”
Furlong’s sense of fun is always lurking and when he’s asked a question about Farrell looking to challenge his tighthead prop in a different way, he can’t help but be self-deprecating. “Wait until you see the team sheet and you’ll know why I’m captain. It was just a process of elimination! I can’t name it yet, wait until you see.”
But beneath the laughter beats the heart of a warrior, a player who drives himself harder than any taskmaster, who gives everything for the team, whatever that entails. That’s a reasonable identikit for a captain.
