Furlong recently reached the halfway mark to becoming an Irish centurion when he picked up his 50th cap for the national side against Japan, and now currently sits on 52 after starting in the wins over New Zealand and Argentina.

The Wexford native made his debut for Ireland in a Rugby World Cup 2015 warm-up fixture against Wales at the Aviva Stadium and has been involved with the side since, making six appearances at two World Cups for the boys in green.

The tighthead started all three Tests for the British and Irish Lions against the Springboks during the summer and has started the last six consecutive Lions tests across the two tours of New Zealand (2017) and South Africa (2021).

In blue, Furlong has already crossed into three-digit territory and sits on 116 appearances for Leinster.

He has won one Six Nations title with Ireland as well as a Triple Crown from the Grand Slam year of 2018.

Furlong has won five trophies with Leinster – four Pro 14 titles, all won in succession, and one European Rugby Champions Cup, which he also won in 2018.

David Nucifora, IRFU Performance Director, commented: “Tadhg has again illustrated his pedigree as one of the best tightheads in world rugby.

“His performances for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions in the past year have been top drawer and we are delighted that he has extended his contract to the end of the 2024/25 season.”

Tadhg Furlong commented: “November was a really positive block for the Ireland squad and it was great to have supporters back in the stadium.

“Ireland and Leinster have started the season well and both squads will be aiming for silverware again this season.”

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Leinster players dominated the starting pack selection for all three November internationals against Japan, New Zealand and Argentina and offered a wide variety of qualities throughout each game.

Seven Leinster forwards started the first two matches against Japan and New Zealand while the front row of Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong was a constant on the team sheet across all three games.

The Irish forward unit combined to score nine out of the nineteen tries the national side scored across the international break – all six forwards that got over the line in green will be back in blue in the coming weeks.

“They’ve kept up the trend really – the forwards are outdoing the backs by 3:1 [16-6] at Leinster here as well,” McBryde said.

“So whether it’s a sign of the times, a big shift in rugby or if the backs need to up their game – I don’t know what it is.

“It’s great to see that cohesion, both here at Leinster and with Ireland really, you know. I’m happy with just winning penalties or winning one against the head in the scrum and what have you but, you know, scoring tries – the more they can do, the better it reflects on the pack’s work really.”

McBryde also noted that he was impressed with other aspects of the forwards’ games during the international break, singling out the driving maul against Argentina.

Driving mauls and break-off runs from these mauls led to five of Ireland’s seven tries in Dublin at the weekend – both directly and indirectly.

On top of their excellence in scoring, the Irish forwards excelled with powerful carries that helped their side gain important metres – stats seen below are all via OptaJonny.

Caelan Doris topped the charts in the Autumn Nations Series with 36 carries to his name, while his teammate Jack Conan racked up 32 in two games – the pair’s numbers make up 45% of Ireland’s total in the three games (152).

Conan committed at least two tacklers from 19 of those carries and was a useful edge forward option in the first two games.

The two Leinster back rowers were also strong presences at rucks – Doris hit 99 rucks in total in the November Internationals, a total shared with Wales and Dragons flanker Taine Basham.

The evolution of forwards from solely three-man-pod crash-ball experts into mobile wide threats has been a trend several national teams have picked up on, including Andy Farrell’s Ireland.

Tadhg Furlong’s role as the wide player in the first pod of two in Ireland’s 1-3-2-2 attack underlines the threat of this tactic.

Furlong, arguably the world’s most complete tighthead, burst through defences several times in all three Autumn Nations Series games with the ball in his hands.

Josh Van Der Flier and Ronan Kelleher must also be commended for their carrying ability, as well as Ryan Baird who excelled against Argentina.

All forwards mentioned are on Leinster’s books and McBryde believes the multi-faceted ability of today’s packs is a huge asset for both province and country.

“You can’t rely on size alone, if you’ve got lemons, you make lemonade. You’re never gonna have the biggest pack ever – here in Leinster or in Ireland really – so you’re gonna have to play to your strengths and I think that’s what Ireland have done in the past month…”

“…that’s what the modern-day forward is all about really – being able to contribute around the field and obviously nailing the set-piece as well.”

Leinster return to action on Saturday night when they welcome Ulster to the RDS Arena for their first interprovincial clash of the season.

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1. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) – At 27 years old the Wexford man is now in the prime of his career. He was played over 105 times for Leinster spanning back to 2013. He has been an integral part of the Ireland team since 2015 making over 40 appearances. He also been on tour with the British and Irish Lions. He won the Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown in 2018. While he would also secure two Pro 14 titles with Leinster 2018 and 2019. He would win a Champions Cup also in 2018.

2. Sekope Kepu (Australia) – Kepu is very experienced in the position. He has made over 106 appearances for the Wallabies since making his debut in 2008 against Italy. Kepu played at U17, 19 and U21 level for New Zealand. He is one of the best in the game at the moment.

3. Ramiro Herrera (Argentina) – At 31 the Argentine is one of the best in the game. He has played 39 times for Argentina. A strong ball carrier and sturdy in the scrum makes him one of the best in the game.

4. Dan Cole (England) – Cole is a very consistent player. He has played 95 times for England. He has numerous honours at both club level and international and is one of the best tighthead props in the game for sure.

5. Demba Bamba (France) – Bamba at 22 has a long career ahead of him. He is currently playing with Brive in the Top 14. He made his debut in 2018. He has a Six Nations U20 Championship medal and also won a World Cup winners medal U20 that same year.

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