With Ireland coach Joe Schmidt set to announce his final 31-man squad for the World Cup today, Tadhg Furlong is one of the players waiting on a phone call to decide his immediate future.
The Leinster prop made his Test debut when he came on after 57 minutes against Wales on Saturday.
Huge congrats to @tadhgfurlong on his 1st cap yesterday. Definitely a face made for rugby! #apprenticebecomemaster pic.twitter.com/SGElyFAm8p
— Mike Ross (@MikeRoss03) August 30, 2015
Furlong suffered a thigh injury in his first week with the Ireland training camp and has struggled to get back to fitness in time to get into contention.
Getting a chance at the weekend gave him some hope, but realistically he knows the odds are against him for a place in the final squad.
“I’ve played 25 minutes and I’ve one cap,” Furlong said after the match. “I’ve been injured through a lot of the preseason so if they told me those were the reasons for not selecting me I could understand it.
“But saying that, obviously I’d absolutely love to get the call-up and represent my country.”
But at 22, if the call doesn’t come this time, the Wexford native knows he will have other chances in the future.
Schmidt will announce his final squad later today.