DEVIN TONER v DONNACHA RYAN

THE entire second-row showdown is enthralling, given James Ryan and Leone Nakarawa make up the locks, but Toner and Ryan are central to their teams’ chances. They are the sides’ respective lineout leaders. Leinster will use Ryan and Scott Fardy, just as Racing use Nyanga and Nakarawa. It won’t be simply a case of Toner trying to contest every ball against his countryman. But he will be deciding where Sean Cronin should throw the ball, and he will know that Ryan knows Toner’s game inside out. Toner, though, is a veteran now, and he can also call upon the help of Leo Cullen. Cullen led Leinster’s lineout for three European triumphs, and between the two of them they will have to come up with moves that leave Ryan flummoxed. France’s super-clubs had an often deserved reputation for flakiness in European competition, but Toulon turned that around. That was mainly thanks to their strategy of buying hardened forwards with years of Test experience. And Racing have pursued that policy, too, with Ryan paid a wage that dwarfs what Munster offered him when his contract was up for renewal. His move to France sacrificed his Test career, but a European Cup win would go a long way to justifying the decision. It already looks money wisely spent from their perspective, with Ryan leading the best defensive lineout in Europe this season but also providing an obduracy that has often been in evidence in big contests.