Toner plays leading role as Leinster seek glory in Bilbao

Devin Toner is already the proud owner of three Heineken Cup medals and yet there is a sense that a first Champions Cup trinket would outweigh them all.

In a game where some coaches have taken to describing their replacements as ‘finishers’, Toner’s European history, allied to his reflections on it this week, is proof that there is no substitute for starting.

He was 22 when he sat on the bench for the duration of the decider against Leicester Tigers in Edinburgh. Two years later and he bagged just over two minutes at the back end of the comeback against Northampton. Then he signed for 22 against Ulster in 2012.