THERE WAS ALWAYS going to be a high-profile casualty in this World Cup numbers game, but nobody quite could have expected Devin Toner to be the shock exclusion from Ireland’s squad for Japan.
By the time Joe Schmidt confirmed the chosen 31 at lunchtime today (six days ahead of schedule), word had already long filtered through that Toner was the fall guy as the head coach opted for the less-experienced, but more powerful, option of Jean Kleyn.
Whatever way you look at it, this is a hugely significant selection call from Schmidt, not least because Toner has been a virtual ever-present in his teams for the last decade, but because he has so often been the safe pair of hands in Ireland’s lineout.
At a time when captain Rory Best is coming under increased pressure and Ireland’s set-piece has malfunctioned as recently as two weekends ago, the decision to leave the chief organiser and operator is high-risk.
Toner has played in 50 of Schmidt’s 67 games in charge, he has been an essential contributor to Ireland’s success, and his lineout prowess and restart skills are without question. That both of those facets of Ireland’s game have suffered in his absence only served to increase Toner’s worth. Or so we thought.
Two Saturdays ago at Twickenham, as Ireland’s lineout crumbled against England, 67-time capped Toner watched on from the bench and the general consensus was that the 33-year-old was required more than ever to ensure the set-piece functioned.
Toner, in more ways than one, has been Ireland’s go-to man at the lineout, and for a team that depends so much on the set-piece, his omission was not envisaged until the rumours started circulating late last night.
“I’ve coached Dev for 10 years,” Schmidt said.
And he’s not just a lineout champion for us, he’s such a good player and an absolutely quality person. That was an incredibly tough conversation yesterday.
Instead, Schmidt has turned to Munster’s Kleyn, who made his Ireland debut against Italy at the start of last month having only qualified through the three-year residency rule two days previous.
With Tadhg Beirne selected as a floating option between the second and back row, it essentially came down to Toner versus Kleyn for that final seat on the plane.
There is no doubt that 26-year-old Kleyn offers more around the pitch, the Munster man’s appetite for work and contact a standout quality, while he has consistently shown his tackling, carrying, rucking, scrummaging and mauling strengths for the southern province.
Schmidt was obviously attracted to Kleyn as that ‘enforcer’ style player and the fact he wasted no time in capping him against Italy showed he was very much part of the Kiwi’s plans for this World Cup.
But the absence of Toner puts increased pressure and responsibility on the shoulders of James Ryan and Iain Henderson, who must now step up in a big way, as Schmidt referred to in a brief video released by the IRFU earlier.
He said: “You’ve got James Ryan who made an immediate impression coming into the side and Iain Henderson who’s promised so much and performed incredibly well for us at times. We’re going to very much need him to put his best foot forward.”
As for Toner, this is a shattering blow in the twilight years of a remarkably consistent career, during which he has shown resilience to maintain his place in the team. He had overcome ankle and knee injuries this year to get himself back fit and ready for the World Cup, but perhaps those layoffs ultimately contributed to his exclusion.
After requiring ankle surgery during the Six Nations, Toner missed four of Ireland’s five games and then suffered a worrying knee injury during Leinster’s Pro14 semi-final against Munster back in May.
Although he was back fit for pre-season, those setbacks may have slowed Toner down and his impact around the pitch — in comparison to the other second rows — has been waning.
The decision for Schmidt and his coaches was whether they put more stock in Toner’s lineout expertise or the brute power and dynamism Kleyn brings to the table. Either way, it’s a huge call.
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