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Furlong targeting Ireland breakthrough

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Having returned to club side Leinster following Rugby World Cup duty, tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong is desperate to prove he can become a mainstay on the international stage.

Having returned to club side Leinster following Rugby World Cup duty, tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong is desperate to prove he can become a mainstay on the international stage.

Furlong had to play second fiddle to the vastly experienced Mike Ross throughout the tournament, gaining just 17 minutes of playing time and, in training, the 22-year-old was pushed from pillar to post.

Yet having had a taste of the high life, Furlong wants more with thoughts now turning towards the 2016 RBS 6 Nations and Ireland’s defence of their crown.

And the front row is intent on making a big impact for Leinster to ensure he moves to the forefront of Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt’s plans.

“That is my ultimate goal, to be in a place where I can go out and consistently play in big matches and scrummage well,” Furlong told the Evening Herald.

“That is the golden egg for every prop, every tight-head especially. Hopefully, over the next few months to years, I can start to build towards that and try to attain it.

“I’ve probably come back as a player who understands the game more. I was fifth prop over there, so in the training teams I would often slot in as a second-row or a No.8 or a flanker or a winger.

“I was slotting in and out on the defensive teams because I was an extra body so, from that end, I saw a lot more of the game and moves off set-pieces than I would have normally have if my head was still stuck in the scrum.”

Click here to view the 2016 RBS 6 Nations fixture list