Ireland's Tadhg Furlong has dismissed notions that he deserves a berth in the British and Irish Lions squad going on tour next summer.
Furlong has impressed throughout the Autumn Series, in which Ireland recorded an historical victory over the All Blacks as well as yesterday's win against Australia to compliment the winning result against South Africa earlier in the year.
England's Dan Cole, Wales' Samson Lee and Scotland's WP Nel are believed to be strong candidates for selection in the Lions squad, but the Wexford native has become a front-runner for the nod.
Speaking after Ireland's three-point scalp over the Wallabies, an overwhelmed Furlong aimed to quell the speculation about his worthiness of a spot in the Lions squad.
Garry Ringrose and Joey Carbery are two very exciting emerging talents for Ireland. Tadhg Furlong has arrived as a major Test player.
— Alex Lowe (@AlexMLowe) November 26, 2016
"It's kind of daunting in a way, to be honest with you. Because you know in your own head that 'jeez, my scrum wasn't great there' or 'my entry wasn't great here, and if I do this against a really great scrummaging pack, I'm going to be torn apart here'.
"That is your thought process. And with people throwing that out, you get kind of embarrassed. The Lions is synonymous with such a big brand and so many great players have played there. Do I see myself there at the minute? No."
"I think I have a long journey to go and, as I said, I've only started four games for Ireland, two Heineken Cup games for Leinster and it is a big, big step to be making those shouts."
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