Toner: I have a certain set of skills that work for me

DEVIN TONER is well used to standing out in a crowd, but even he must have felt irritated by the surprised reaction his name generated when Joe Schmidt announced his team to face Scotland yesterday. The general expectation had been that returning Lion Iain Henderson would slot back in after overcoming hamstring trouble, but instead, Schmidt has kept faith with the TonerJames Ryan combination that worked well against Wales. After starting the tournament behind both Henderson and Ryan in the pecking order, there are a number of possible explanations as to why the 31-year-old has now managed to hold on to the jersey. Perhaps Schmidt feels Toner’s 56 caps of experience will be needed alongside six-cap Ryan. Maybe it came down to Toner’s ability in the lineout, or the fact he put in a strong shift against the Welsh? Or, maybe, it’s just that he remains a very important player in this Ireland team. The Leinster lock has started 43 of Schmidt’s previous 53 games as Ireland boss — more than any other player in the current squad. So, just what makes him such a valuable weapon? ‘I think I have, to quote Liam Neeson, “a certain set of skills” that I know do well for me,’ Toner (above) explains. ‘I stick to my strengths. I’m dependable, I try not to make any mistakes, I run a good lineout and I’m good at restarts.’ It also helps that Toner has quite a history with Schmidt, going right back to the Kiwi head coach’s days with Leinster. ‘I played a fair bit of the 2012 season [with Leinster] and then Brad [Thorn] came in and he played the semi-final, the final [of the European Cup]. I think a lot of the pool games I started. ‘Then when he [Schmidt] came into Ireland, I remember getting picked to start the first Six Nations game and I was blown away, like “jeez what’s going on”. Then I kept getting picked. It’s brilliant obviously when you have the confidence of the coaches, it’s really good for you own self-confidence. ‘Nobody wants to be benched, everyone wants to start every game they can. We are interchangeable, you have seen that in the different selections there has been and Hendy has another string to his bow, he can call lineouts as well, just as well as myself. He has upped his skillset from last year. ‘That was the one thing which used to stand out for me, that I was able to call a good lineout but obviously he can as well. ‘Again, I wouldn’t be happy if I got dropped for the next game. That’s how it goes.’ It’s a reality that he’s all to familiar with after being cut from the starting team for last season’s Six Nations. ‘You always reassess when you get dropped and you don’t start. I did a lot of work in pre-season, I dropped eight or nine kilos so I’m getting around the pitch a lot better now.’ As far as Toner is concerned, he still has plenty to offer this Ireland team. Obviously, Joe Schmidt agrees.