Healy and Porter help Tom O’Toole embrace challenge of switching sides

Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty had first suggested that Ulster prop Tom O'Toole could switch from tighthead to loosehead. Given he had spent more than a year out of the national camp, he was grateful for the opportunity.

Tom O'Toole replaced Jeremy Loughman against Italy for his first taste of Test rugby at loosehead. Pic:  ©INPHO/Ben Brady

There are less intimidating places to hone one’s tradecraft than in front of a full house at Twickenham but Tom O’Toole is determined to embrace the challenge, with a little help from his friends, if the tighthead prop gets to pack down on the other side of the front row on Saturday.

Ireland’s underdog tag going into this round-three Guinness Six Nations clash is underlined by the injury crisis at loosehead prop, with Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle all absent through injury.