VETERAN DEV STILL STRIKING RIGHT TONE

HE’S won five European crowns, three Celtic Leagues, three Six Nations titles topped by a Grand Slam – with the promise of more for province and country in this World Cup year.

But not even the biggest prize of them all would fully satisfy the appetite of giant Devin Toner, who has no plans to hang up the boots when his current contract ends in June 2020.

The Meathman will be 33 in June but his influence on Leinster and Ireland remains profound, even in this day and age of dynamic young locks bursting through.

Leinster alone have a bunch of them – led by his current second row partner, James Ryan.

Together they will play a massive role today in Leinster’s drive to reach a second Champions Cup final. But Toner is not ready to go forth into what Jamie Heaslip memorably described as ‘the afterlife’ next summer.

“No that won’t do me – I’ll be looking to go on,” he said.

The arrival of son Max, who is now 18 months old, has brought a new perspective.

“Our lives revolve JOHNNY SEXTON is back and hungry to shore up his credentials by conquering Europe again.

Sexton believes the levels of scrutiny of his game have gone to “a new level” but, as he prepares to play for Leinster today for the first time in 2019, he insists the extra pressure of being World Player of the Year hasn’t affected him.

“It’s people’s opinion,” said the 33-year-old (inset).

“I’d much rather win a trophy around him now,” said Toner. “We don’t have a lot of free time to ourselves, or for me thinking about rugby or anything else.

“So it kind of takes your focus off it. It means when you’re in here, when you’re on duty, you’re thinking more about what you’re trying to do, to get more work done.”

He’s come a long way from the first five years of his Leinster career, when he pored over internet forums to see how his performances rated.

Toner said: “I know outside of Leinster, people don’t like me as a player, didn’t like me at the start. Just because I stand out.

“The amount of s***e that you’d see, people calling you out and stuff. And it’s in that time of my career that I learned to block it all out. I don’t read papers, don’t look at media, don’t search my name. I don’t look at Twitter.“

There has been much said and written about how Leinster haven’t hit the heights again this season.

With Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw and Toner himself back in harness, the time to produce it is now.

“Fingers crossed,” stated Toner. “I don’t think performances have been up there, but I think there’s one there bubbling.” because you guys can’t sit there and say, ‘Leinster haven’t won four stars, four European Cups’. “But we have and you can’t take that away. But you can argue about whether someone is playing well or someone is not playing well.

“You can all have your opinions about that but you can’t take away trophies and that’s why I love being here and trying to win competitions, because that doesn’t get taken away from you.”