BY THE TIME Devin Toner returned to the Dubarry Park clubhouse for media duty, the Leinster second row was still catching his breath after being given a stern workout by the Ireland U20s.
With Iain Henderson busy running shuttles on one side of the pitch and James Ryan wrapped up in cotton wool, Toner was the only lock present and available in Athlone earlier as Ireland concluded their two-day mini camp in the Midlands.
Afterwards, Joe Schmidt gave optimistic noises that both Henderson and Ryan will be fit and ready for Wales, but with Quinn Roux back on Connacht duty, it left Toner to shoulder much of the work during the open training session.
“It was tough enough,” he smiled. We do this drill called the sausage bag drill. It’s pretty tiring, especially for the nine, so I don’t know how [Conor] Murray is feeling. Andy [Farrell] calls it the contact corridor, so getting a few contacts in, getting the hits up. A bit of physicality.
“It was a good hit-out, a chance to blow the cobwebs off and it was good to train against the 20s as well. Really good opportunity for them to see what we’re all about.”
Without naming names, Toner was impressed by McNamara’s U20s side, with second rows Cormac Daly and Jack Dunne already thriving under the guidance and tutelage of a certain Paul O’Connell.
“I have seen a few of the lads already in the Leinster academy — the likes of Jack Aungier, Ronan Kelleher and they’re good lads with a lot of potential. I’ve seen the blueprints of a Paulie lineout already, too!
“Paulie was there today and I had a brief chat with him. He was asking me about body shape for one of the taller second rows at scrum-time.”
The U20s squad got the chance to show what they could do in front of Schmidt and a local crowd of over 3,000 when the session ended with a 15-versus-15 non-contact game designed to blow the cobwebs off before a couple of days off.
It’s a lot different to the usual squad sessions which take place behind closed doors and are heavily focused on defensive structures, plays and overall game plans, but certainly something the players welcome during the down-week.
“It’s a lot different than training beside a man and his dog,” Toner continues. “It is good when you hear everyone cheering you on. It does give an extra edge.
“It reinvests the image that everyone in the country is behind you. That it doesn’t matter where you go, that people are going to come out and see you. Open training sessions give you the chance to see what the team means to the country. It’s a credit to the area, the amount of people that come out to watch us and it is invigorating for training.
“These weeks are hugely important. We’re eight weeks away, a lot of people have families and young kids to get back to so they’re really important to switch off and get a couple of days at home. I don’t think the wives and partners get enough credit for what they go through in Six Nations weeks when everyone is gone for so long. It’s a really good way to get back to them and get home and relax for a while.”
Once the session concluded and media duties were fulfilled, the players headed their separate ways before reconvening in Carton House where preparations for Wales will intensify on Monday.
After winning his place back for the win over Italy, Toner will be keen to do the same next week and should be in a strong position to do so given the work he has got through over the last few days with Ryan nursing a knock.
“Wales have proved that they are a hard team to break down,” he says of next week’s opposition. “They had a great outing against Scotland, they’ll be disappointed about the England game and they’ll be a huge test for us.”
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