Actions speak louder than words for livewire Tom Ahern

Tom Ahern is making the leaps and bounds you might expect from a long-striding 6ft 9ins lock but the Munster second row’s progress through Ireland’s age-grade ranks is just as impressive as his performance levels.

For a player who watched last year’s run to Ireland’s U20s Grand Slam from afar, the 19-year-old has wasted little time earning a place in this season’s leadership group as Noel McNamara’s class of 2020 prepare for the Six Nations campaign.