A BEAMING TOM O’Toole about sums it up.
“It doesn’t get better than that, really, does it?”
The 24-year-old Ulster tighthead came on for the final quarter of Ireland’s sensational 32-19 victory over France. He was like a man possessed.
O’Toole took his carry stats to almost double digits, bouncing French defenders and more than holding his own in the set-piece on the rare occasions that the ball wasn’t in play at the Aviva.
In turn, he answered a few questions about his capability at test level, albeit he had answered them in his own head long before his impressive cameo in Dublin.
“As a bench player, you’re watching the game for 60 minutes, just trying to pick out areas we could attack,” O’Toole said.
“We kept talking to each other on the bench saying we needed a bit of spark, a bit of energy, and fortunately, I got myself in the right positions for the ball to come my way. I had to step up for the team and just carry as hard as I could, really.
“It’s time to step up and show I’m capable at this level. Like, Tadhg [Furlong] is world-class and Finlay [Bealham] has done exceptionally well in the last couple of weeks coming into that role, so it was time for me to step up. That’s the stage I’m at in my career. It’s definitely time.
“I’ve been in the environment enough to know what I can add to the team and how I can help the team out.”
It’s not long since the absence of Furlong would have been perceived as terminal to Ireland’s chances against another elite team.
Suddenly, they look fairly well stocked at tighthead, where Bealham has excelled as the Wexford man’s deputy and where O’Toole has his own plans to make the number 3 shirt his own.
He’s quick, though, to doff the hat to the two more senior figures currently ahead of him in Andy Farrell’s pecking order, explaining with some enthusiasm how much he has learned from both Furlong and Bealham.
He reserved special praise for the former, who has missed Ireland’s first two Six Nations games with a calf injury but has been “exceptional” in his efforts to ensure O’Toole is best prepared to thrive in the role when required.
“Being behind Tadhg has been class. He’s the best tighthead in the world, and his leadership within the team… he has a massive, massive role. As soon as he realised he wasn’t fit to play, he just switched completely and wanted to help out in any way he could, made sure I was ready across my detail, he’d go through stuff with me… He’s been absolutely exceptional.
“That’s the type of character he is. Once he’s back fit, he’ll fit back into the team and will do what he does best, but he’s been really, really helpful, making sure we’re ready: a team-first attitude and mentality.”
