Paul O’Connell praises ‘big leader’ Tadhg Furlong as Ireland prepare to host Argentina

Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell was asked to sift through the remnants of the Tadhg Furlong exoneration and he did so in a measured and reasonable fashion. The tighthead prop’s availability for Friday’s Nations Championship match against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium is a boon for the group, especially in the absence of several key figures.O’Connell explained: “He’s a big leader in the group. So yeah, it’s excellent. We’re missing two important leaders in the group. Well, more than two, but Jack Conan and Caelan Doris in the forwards, so it would have been disappointing to have lost him. [A] tough week for him and a tough week for Gavin [Coombes] as well, I’m sure.”Munster were peeved with some of the commentary in advance of the independent disciplinary hearing, and O’Connell was asked whether that would have included Johnny Sexton’s comments and if it would be better for people to stay schtum before a case is heard in the future.“I don’t think Johnny would have meant anything bad by that,” O’Connell replied. “I know Gav very well. Gav has been in with us loads of times and will be in with us again in the future, and he’s a fantastic player as well. I suppose he felt something happened.READ MORE“Tadhg felt whatever happened, happened by accident, and it was just unfortunate. Coaches do have to, you know, speak up for their players and protect their players. Leinster have to do that. Munster have to do it. So, it’s just important everyone moves on now.”Not quite. He was asked about the technical side of clearing out at the breakdown. “You’re always trying to depower someone,” he said before pointing out that grabbing a leg low down and part of the torso to shift a large human runs the risk of tipping them over, an action that is illegal and dangerous and would be penalised.“But if you’re higher, you can depower them. It’s the same in the maul. If you put your hands on the leg, you get penalised but if you’re higher, you’re okay.” The key is to be as careful as possible but it doesn’t remove the risk of accidental contact to an area that is off-limits.There are other potential pitfalls at the breakdown, primarily head contact. O’Connell said: “When approaching the ruck, we want to be really low on the clean-out. But you’re trying to avoid that head contact all the time.” The issue is to be square on the way into a ruck before shifting slightly to 45 degrees to avoid the head.“You’re trying to coach [that] discipline is really important, winning the penalty count and trying to keep 15 players on the field.”In the absence of Doris and Conan, Connacht’s Sean Jansen looks likely to wear the number eight jersey on Friday night. O’Connell spoke warmly of a player who has impressed him with his coachability and attention to detail.Ireland's Sean Jansen in action for Ireland against New Zealand in July. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho “He’s [Jansen] a fantastic guy. I came across him first playing for Connacht, but we took him on the Emerging Ireland tour a few years ago. He was excellent for us on the tour, but I think what stood out was probably his diligence. “I suppose maybe when you look at a guy, I’m not sure what he has going on with his hair at the moment, but he generally has some kind of a rat’s tail, or a something, you’re kind of wondering what kind of a character you’re going to meet, but he was incredibly diligent.“Sometimes the guys that are really physical just rely on that, and they’re not so diligent. Sometimes the guys that are really diligent aren’t as physical as they probably could be or should be. And I think he has both. “You don’t have to tell him anything twice. If you say something to him and he understands it and he sees the value in it, he just goes about making it part of his game. He moves really quickly. He’s excellent on the GPS stuff and a real power athlete and his ball carry. He has always been excellent, but his defence this season has been brilliant.“He has the concentration to be that kind of relentless player but then also his tackle entry and the back end after he [makes] good tackles has been really good. He’s good fun as well. He’s a real brilliant addition and find for us because when he showed up at Connacht, I hadn’t heard of him. “He’s been so diligent in getting here. It isn’t just a guy that has some big carries and some big moments.”There was a positive medical bulletin with outhalf Sam Prendergast (wrist) and Jimmy O’Brien (concussion) both back in training, the latter having completed his return-to-play protocols. O’Connell said: “He’s [Prendergast] been tracking well.“He’s been jumping in and out of bits of training, non-contact bits, pretty close to full-contact bits, and he’s been very confident and comfortable doing it. So, I’m not 100 per cent sure, but he looks like he could be okay.”The IRFU confirmed that more than 48,400 tickets have been sold for Friday’s game. The team to face Argentina will be named on Wednesday afternoon.