Saracens vs Leinster: Mako Vunipola and Tadhg Furlong hail each other ahead of Champions Cup final
The two props grew close on the British and Irish Lions tour in 2017 as have established themselves among the leading front-row forwards currently playing the game
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Your support makes all the difference.Mako Vunipola renews his rivalry with Tadhg Furlong in Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup final and says the Ireland prop has helped him maximise his own potential.
Saracens and Leinster clash in Newcastle, with the duel between the front rows a key battleground as the English champions attempt to dethrone the current rulers of European club rugby.
The pair had little first-hand knowledge of each other until they were selected for the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand and went on to start all three Tests of the drawn series.
Vunipola has since established himself as the game's outstanding loosehead and the England star insists it was Furlong who showed him what a prop can achieve.
"Tadhg has proved to be one of the best in the world, if not the best," said Vunipola, who is set to be restored to Saracens' front row after recovering from an ankle injury.
"Hopefully we can nullify some of his impact, but you can only do so much. I am looking forward to a great match-up.
"He surprised me on the Lions tour in the way that he was such a big guy and his set-piece stuff was solid, but around the park I couldn't believe how hard he worked.
"I thought, 'I'm all right at this', but then you saw what he did and you are like, 'Oh, no I'm not'.
"It gives you motivation to push yourself and that is what you get with good players. That is one thing I take from those tours and being around those great players - you are always going to learn, it's just a case of whether you want to.
"He has got all the skills and sometimes you forget he's a prop forward, but that never takes away from his bread and butter, which is his set-piece. Everything else is a bonus. He's very reliable as a player and when he trains he always gives 100 per cent. That is the sign of a great player in my eyes.
"Off the field we were close. He's a top bloke and he's very easy to get along with. Front-rowers tend to migrate towards each other anyway. We spent a lot of time together on the Lions tour."
Saracens were succeeded as European champions by Leinster last season and were well beaten by the Irish province when they met in the quarter-finals.
While the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, Vunipola has revealed that it ignited their march to the Gallagher Premiership title.
"It did hurt a lot. It gave us a kick in the arse for the rest of the season and opened our eyes a bit, in that we probably thought we were something that we weren't," the 28-year-old said. "We had to be honest with ourselves, so it was probably the best thing that has happened to us. Leinster showed us there is another step up. It was great for us.
"But this weekend is a new slate, so hopefully we can go out there and put in a better performance than we did that day."
Furlong was equally as effusive about opposite man Vunipola, who he labelled “world class” following his form for Leinster and Ireland. Leinster will chase an outright record fifth European title at St James' Park, while Saracens will aim for a third trophy, to add to their wins in 2016 and 2017.
"Mako is world class in what he does; he has had a few injury problems this year but he has come back and looked really fresh," said Furlong. "His ability to attack the gainline, his ability to bring others into the game, his footwork, late at the line.
"He is a quality player to be fair to him. Sarries use him in set-piece moves and he is a player I enjoy watching."
Furlong enjoyed getting to know Vunipola during the Lions tour, but now Furlong has other ideas on his mind, primarily how to help the Irish province defend their European title.
"Going against him in the scrum, the game has changed so much in terms of scrummaging within the last two years," said Furlong. "What we were talking about on the Lions tour, in terms of what we wanted to achieve in the scrum and the way we went about it, is maybe not the case any more.
"I got on well with Mako. He's good craic. When we were over there we roomed with the props and hookers to try to build relationships.
"I got stuck in a room with Mako a few times which I enjoyed. He's a pretty laid-back character.
"He's a horrendous snorer so it can be tough that way with him, but most of the time he was asleep so I didn't get much chat out of him!
"I can definitely understand some of the points that teams make about trying to back things up. Here the group is so competitive and it's such a good place to work that you want to do well and you want to push on.
"We've learned lessons in Europe this year, especially against Toulouse away.
"It is challenging (to defend the title), but we're back in the final now and we want to put in a good performance."
PA
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