'Pretty boring' - Devin Toner on the wait for a late kick-off

Devin Toner, unlike so many sportspeople who have been soured by years of living on the stuff, loves pasta.

Adores it.

We know this because he was asked about it yesterday. This is what happens six weeks into the Six Nations when players and media sit down to talk for the umpteenth time: The most miniscule of subjects get digested in desperation for something new.

Be grateful, he was quizzed on his socks first.

Look at things in that context and Ireland’s first Friday night Six Nations game opens up a whole new vista of possibilities, regardless of the fact that Toner and the rest of Joe Schmidt’s squad have played countless times on Fridays with their provinces.

Still, an 8.05pm kick-off is no-one’s idea of fun.

Not until the first whistle anyway.

“Pretty boring,” said Toner. “We’ve had a few of them with Leinster so we’re used to them now. Basically, get up when you want, get breakfast and go back to bed for a while. It’s usually a lot of sleeping in and watching iPads and laptops and stuff. It’s getting up as well, going for a walk and maybe for a coffee.

“You might go about the place, it’s all individual what you want to do.”

Toner will drag himself out of bed sometime around 10am tomorrow.

He’ll pile into a breakfast of eggs, toast, porridge and bacon, fall back into the leaba and get up again for a lunch of chicken, rice and pasta.

After that it might be a few episodes of The Sopranos — he’s rewatching it — then more chicken, rice and pasta. To top it all off he’ll spoon in some bolognese.

See? He really does love pasta.

It all makes for a painfully long day, no matter how many times a player goes through it. Hours are there to be ticked off rather than enjoyed and there is, in a way, a similar feel to the entire affair this week given England arrive in Dublin eight days later.

All eyes remain riveted on the prospect of Ireland and England going head-to-head for the title on the last day of the tournament but Joe Schmidt’s side has to “get over the hump” in Cardiff before all that.

“I wouldn’t even call it a hump. It’s a massive game in Cardiff. The atmosphere’s going to be massive. There’s a lot of rivalry there between all the players because we see them every week, playing against them in the league all the time.

“It’s going to be a huge game for both teams.”

The day of the week aside, there is little new to unpick here. Add the cross-pollination of so many of the Irish and Welsh players in recent Lions tours and the decisions of Joe Schmidt and Rob Howley to name unchanged teams to their regular PRO12 acquaintances and there are few new storylines.

Watching The Sopranos for a second or third time sounds like fun. Endless footage of Rhys Webb feeding his backline or Sam Warburton digging in for a poach? Probably not so much. Not year after year. You imagine the Welsh boys feel the same as they dissect Toner’s lineout.

“I know you see the stats and that I throw a lot to myself,” said the lock. “I know they’re going to see that and want to mark me up and then there’s a lot of second-guessing. ‘Will I throw or will I not?’ It’s evolved. I’ve kind of evolved over the years.

“Again, you change with every game. Every team is different. You do your analysis and see how they’re defending and evolve with it. I’ve just kept on going, really. I won’t say it’s got harder over the years, I’ve kind of evolved as a player and a caller.”

Jake Ball calls the shots on the Welsh lineout but it is hard not to think first of Alun Wyn Jones when talk to turns to Wales and their lineout given this is a man who engaged in many an aerial tussle with Paul O’Connell down the years.

“He’s got a big engine on him,” said Toner. “He’s everywhere, constantly working. He doesn’t have 108 caps for no reason. Like, he’s the same age as me and he’s got 108 caps, so he’s a hugely experienced man.”

It’s probably involved a lot of chicken and pasta, if nothing else.