For many years Devin Toner was a polarising figure amongst Irish rugby fans. While his skills in the line-out were obvious, many felt his overall play left much to be desired. Some were questioning his place in the team, and wondering if Joe Schmidt would be better off selecting a more well-rounded player in the second row.
That narrative has reversed in recent times, however. Toner's impact on the Ireland team cannot be ignored. While his skills in the line-out remain as impactful as ever, other areas of his game have started to catch up. It would not be outlandish to claim that he is now one of the most important players in the Irish team, something not many would have predicted a few years ago.
Speaking to Balls.ie, former Ireland international Malcolm O'Kelly was quick to point out just how important the Leinster man has become, saying that the famous victory over the All Blacks in November would not have been possible without his contributions.
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Well I think a lot of the work is what you see: the line-out work and kick-off work. That's what separates him from most. The fact of the matter was the New Zealand line-out was phenomenal, you had two lads that were 6'6" or 6'7" who were very agile and can get up off the ground.
You would question if that was Tadgh Beirne or (Iain) Henderson, whether they would have been able to win ball.The line-out is such an attacking platform now, that if you don't have that platform, we certainly would have lost that game.
So Devin by his very presence and his ability, because of his size and his physique, to win that ball gave us the ability to win that match. Now we still had to go and win it, but he won the ball.
While some of the questions that were directed at Toner may have been merited in the past, he has now managed to bring his game in other areas up to the required levels. O'Kelly believes that he must continue to improve, however, considering the competition for places in that Ireland second row.
That was always the bad side of Dev. He had too many negative moments. Those moments where he soaked a tackle, or just fell off a tackle. But he was suddenly providing incredibly positive moments, every time he was involved in the play there was a positive outcome.
That's where he is at at the moment, and that's what he has to continue to hold onto that onto that position, and the pressure is on him.You've got somebody like James Ryan who is phenomenal, and then you've got Tadgh Beirne who could possibly be a European Player of the Year, and he's being shove onto the bench.
I suppose it's the difference between provincial and international, you can afford maybe to have a second row who is 6'5" at provincial level, but can you afford it at international level?
