TONER IS WARY OF RYAN’S KEEN EYE

DONNACHA RYAN has spent a good deal of his first season in France recasting his relationship with Ireland. That continues on Saturday, when the latest old ally presents in enemy colours. On this occasion it will be Devin Toner, with whom Ryan shared pitches in the name of Ireland. Ryan is credited with the functioning of the Racing 92 lineout — they have the best defensive set-piece in the tournament this year — and Toner performs a similar duty for Leinster. ‘I got on really well with him,’ says Toner (below). ‘He’d talk the hind legs off a donkey. ‘He was really good. Even if he was injured and not involved, he would always be helping out, always be in your ear, telling you what might work, what mightn’t work.’ Ryan’s open nature was attested to by his Munster teammates before the semi-final between his new team and his old one, and they also spoke of his devotion to match preparation. Toner remembers that appetite for study, too. ‘He does a lot of work on video as well. He spends a lot of time looking over past lineouts and what went well, what worked, what didn’t. ‘He has a lot of years of experience doing that sort of stuff. ‘I know he has done it on me, on our lineout for years. When we were at Ireland, we would be coming up with calls. ‘And he would say, “Oh yeah, you did that two years ago with Leinster”. ‘[You’d think] “I don’t even remember that; how do you remember it?” ‘He puts his homework in.’