Just a matter of weeks ago, Cian Healy, a loosehead prop for Leinster, Ireland and the Lions for as long as anyone could remember moved across the scrum to play tighthead prop. Everybody looking on pretended not to be confused.
It was like Edwin Poots crossing the aisle from the DUP to join Sinn Féin and speak Irish. It was Johnny Sexton kicking left-footed after a career with his right. What did anyone know about rugby any more?
It was so brassy and bold and counter intuitive to the old hard and fast rule that said it takes years to learn how to become a ‘specialist’ tighthead prop and then Kazam, here was Healy.
With more than a decade and 100 Irish caps of engagements and frontrow fracas, at age 34, all it took in fact was a short walk to the other side, carefully place his Margarita on the ground and turn himself into Mike Ross, John Hayes or Tadhg Furlong. Easy.
Furlong, known as a world class tighthead prop was spinning around in South Africa, or maybe Europe but on a break somewhere. He remembers one of his eyebrows curiously arching as he began to remotely watch a Leinster training session.
He's kind of one of those people who, if they put their mind to it, they go gung-ho at it and I thought he did well
“When I heard he was going to tighthead I was like, ‘here what’s going on?’ says Furlong. “I think I was still on the Lions tour, or maybe holidays after I came back, and I was just checking on the Hudl account where you can watch all the training footage remotely.
“It just looked weird at the start, to be honest with you. He’s been a loosehead all his life but he got up to speed to be fair to him.
“He was winning scrum penalties when he came on to beat the band. I’m not sure. You’d have to ask him what he really felt about it. He’s been picking my brain a small bit but he’s kind of one of those people who, if they put their mind to it, they go gung-ho at it and I thought he did well. I thought he did really well. He’s so strong he can get into those dynamic positions.”
It is also a sign of the times. The back row is another area where players now point blank refuse to say they specialise. It cuts down the coaches’ options and can mean less pitch time for players. Most of the backrows pick two of the position, some all three but Healy’s switch was left field and has certainly given the front row a different zest as Ireland face Japan in the first of their three matches on Saturday in the Aviva Stadium.
“I think he’s got a grasp of it very quickly, to be fair to him,” adds Furlong. “It’s not easy. It’s not easy at this level to switch over the way he does. Obviously there’s a good breeding ground at Leinster to practise and in training and stuff like that. He’s done really well, all things considered because it’s not an easy thing to do. Granted he has a history with the position et cetera but I think he’s done really well so far.”
Covering backfield
Furlong delicately explains he wasn’t asked to play loosehead. But would he, could he, should he?
“Pardon? Do you know my second ever cap for Ireland was at loosehead,” he says. Clever lad. Furlong was double jobbing at the 2015 Rugby World Cup understanding that even if you are comfortably among the best, never limit your usefulness to one position.
“Yeah I was a mixture between loosehead, tighthead and I was covering backfield in training during the week,” he says. “Because the four props were playing. So if you ever want to know anything about the pendulum when the back three work together and shift around the pitch depending on where the ball is] give me a shout.”
For sure, we haven't played as many games as the Japanese have played. It's in the bank, the rugby you have played before
But Furlong is also defensive and respectful of Healy and in the changing landscape understands the influence frontrow players can have away from the set piece. The game, although still reliant on solid platforms, has moved from the limited jobs that Hayes once expertly performed for Eddie O’Sullivan and Declan Kidney for over a decade 20 years ago.
“Yeah, look, across the game now, I suppose the opportunity to have an impact as a frontrow has never been as much,” says Furlong. “There’s never been as much expected of you in terms of open-field, the opportunity to get hands on ball, run good lines, carry hard, ruck, defence, maul.
“There’s so much asked of a prop now, so obviously to have someone of his calibre there is obviously great. He was selected as a British and Irish Lion. He’s a hell of a player.”
No argument there. Furlong knows the team is going into the game against Japan faster than they normally would, after a five week preseason rather than seven- or eight-week preseason. But it’s all good.
“I suppose you have to just rely on the work you’ve done,” he says. “I suppose you just rely on stuff you have done before, a bit of muscle memory there. For sure, we haven’t played as many games as the Japanese have played. It’s in the bank, the rugby you have played before.”
No argument there either. Although, maybe Healy would have some grounds for a little quibble.
