If you give Tadhg Furlong a moniker he doesn’t like, he’ll just come up with a better one.
The Leinster and Ireland prop’s rise has been nothing short of spectacular. At 24, he has managed to become Ireland’s first choice number-three after just four senior international starts.
He graduated from Mike Ross’ back-up to the starting XV in an incredibly short amount of time, and if he can follow some of his recent performances up with a big Six Nations, pretty soon we will be calling him a lion, as he’s already in a great spot to get selected for the British and Irish Lions‘ tour of New Zealand.
Feckin' townie https://t.co/VUQ9qJFsrk
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 13, 2017
Back when he was playing in the Junior World Cup for Ireland, Furlong was dubbed “The Mayor of Wexford” by U-20 coach Mike Ruddock. In an interview with David Walsh of the Sunday Times, Ruddock explained that this didn’t last long, as Furlong brought up the fact that he wasn’t a fan of the moniker.
“At our video reviews, I would give an award for ‘tackle of the game’. After our first game at the World Cup I called out the winner. ‘The Mayor of Wexford, Tadhg Furlong.’ Next game, it’s the same, the Mayor of Wexford wins the same award.”
“Third game he gets it again. ‘The Mayor of Wexford,’ I announce. And he says, ‘Mike, I don’t like the Mayor of Wexford bit.’ I had nicknames for a lot of the lads, so I asked, ‘Ok, what should I call you?'”
As soon as the Wexford native uttered his suggested nickname, Ruddock must have had an inkling he was bested. Furlong’s reasoning for the new name would only confirm this suspicion.
“And he said, ‘Call me The Jukebox’. I said, ‘Why the Jukebox?'”
“And he said, ‘Because the hits keep coming.’ He was funny, not boastful, but he knew he could do it. That was the thing.”
