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Leinster issue latest update on the fitness of Tadhg Furlong

Leinster's Tadhg Furlong in action last October (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Leinster will wait until later this week before deciding whether long-term absentee Tadhg Furlong can make his comeback away to La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup. The Ireland tighthead, who missed his country’s entire four-match Autumn Nations Series, has featured just twice this season for his province.

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He last took the pitch for their United Rugby Championship win over Munster at Croke Park on October 12, but a hamstring injury has kept him sidelined since then. Furlong’s absence resulted in Ireland boss Andy Farrell giving a November Test debut to Thomas Clarkson, another Leinster tighthead, behind Connacht’s Finlay Bealham.

Ulster’s Tom O’Toole also provided cover but with his recent six-game suspension only concluding after the opening two rounds of next month’s Guinness Six Nations, there is a pressing need for Furlong to prove his fitness with Simon Easterby, the interim Irish head coach with Farrell now on his British and Irish Lions sabbatical, due to name his championship squad on January 15.

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    A Leinster statement ahead of next Sunday’s trip to France read: “Tadhg Furlong is due to step up his rehabilitation this week and will be further assessed as the week goes on before a final decision is made on his availability.”

    While a wait-and-see approach is being taken regarding Furlong, there was no update regarding Jame Lowe, the Ireland winger who has been absent since the end of the Autumn Nations Series with a calf injury. Leinster, though, have arrived into match week three in the Champions Cup with a more positive update on eight other players.

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    “Jamie Osborne, Jordan Larmour and Tommy O’Brien all came through the game against Munster with no issues after their return from injury and are available for selection,” continued their medical bulletin.

    “Jack Conan has recovered from the injury he suffered in the first half against Connacht and is available for selection. Ciaran Frawley, Hugo Keenan and Thomas Clarkson have all recovered from injury and are available for selection. Max Deegan has come through the graduated return to play protocols and is available for selection.”

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    Dan Sheehan, meanwhile, won’t be risked. Seriously injured in the first half of Ireland’s series opener away to South Africa in Pretoria last July, he has returned to on-pitch training but isn’t yet in Leo Cullen’s selection plans.

    “Dan Sheehan is still recovering from his ACL injury but has returned to on-field training as part of his rehabilitation programme. James Culhane picked up a hamstring injury and will be unavailable for selection. Michael Milne picked up a groin injury in the recent game against Munster A and will be unavailable for selection.”

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    J
    JW 1 hour ago
    'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

    Well a) poor French results doesn’t seem to effect the situation much. In fact one of the reasons given for this selection policy is that the French don’t tune in for foreign rugby content on the other side of the world, at a time when theyre not having their vino. So who would know the results? And b) this is the crux of the matter, they are legally abided to play them as part of WRs tier 1 reciprocal tours programme. The only real choice for the SH team is to treat it the same, which is fine when teams are happy to do that, but the AB’s have a totally anthesis policy/mentality so would never use the games in the same way.


    So alligned with b) the only real option is to complain to those in control. I suspect that’s why weve seen France reneging on the practice, and you can only be left to think that if they hadn’t reneged, WR would have done something more drastic about it. Which of course would mean not just telling them to bugger off when they want to tour, it’s no one playing them (from t1 at least) at all (assuming they have no interest in scheduling match’s outside the windows, like Ireland and NZ are doing).


    Then of course that means no involvement of France in the Nations Championship. Which means they are automatically the last ranked team in 6N to qualify, so the actual worst team in 6N gets to compete in it, making a mockery of the promotion and relegation WR wanted to happen between T1 and T2 for qualifying purposes. Yup, b) is just something nobody wants to happen. Well done FFR and LNR for making the tour work instead (how well is yet to be seen).

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