For someone who stands at 6’ 11’’, Devin Toner is a pretty flexible figure.
The Ireland lock is one of just a handful of certain starters for Joe Schmidt when he picks his team ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations clash with France (4.50pm, live on RTÉ 1 Radio and RTÉ2).
Who slots in beside the 44-cap forward, since the retirement of Paul O’Connell in 2015, is a different matter.
Ulster’s versatile forward Iain Henderson was selected for the defeat to Scotland and Donnacha Ryan of Munster, who started both the recent games against New Zealand, was fit enough to retake his place for the 63-10 romp in Rome.
His former Leinster team-mate Quinn Roux, now at Connacht, was back in camp this week in place of Ultan Dillane, who was a replacement in both games to date but was left out this time around.
"If find it quite easy, to be honest," Toner told RTÉ Sport when asked about adapting to different second row partners.
"For me its quite easy because I’m focused on what I need to do."
"In the last couple of years there have been a few different combinations. We [all] actually know each other so well and we play [together] a lot. I’ve played with Hendy a lot, I’ve played with Donnacha since maybe the Churchill Cup in Denver [in 2009].
"And if Ultan is around, I play with him a good bit.
"For me its quite easy because I’m focused on what I need to do. It might [mean] a different scrumaging position maybe but I find it quite easy to adapt."
Johnny Sexton is available for the first time for Schmidt this week after shaking of a persistent calf strain but will have to convince his boss that he is ready to slot straight back in ahead of Paddy Jackson, the Ulster out-half who has been an able deputy for the oft-injured 31-year-old over the past nine months.
Not wanting to second guess the selection, Toner would only point out that Sexton, who last played on 20 January against Castres, in terms of game-management, is just ahead of his rival in the volume stakes.
"You can see what [Johnny] does, he’s a very, very experienced player, he’s played in a lot of big games,” said Toner of his provincial team-mate
"He organises the forwards and he organises the game very well.
"I’m obviously not taking anything away from Jackie.
"I’m not sure who Joe’s going to pick in the team. The two of them organise everything very well
"Johnny might be a bit more vocal where Jackie might be a bit more calm.
"Each player has their own tendencies and their own characteristics. On Thursday we’ll know who’s in."
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