Versatile Tom O’Toole making his move with Ireland

Ireland’s squeaky win against Wales at the Aviva Stadium three days ago wasn’t just his first start in the No.1 shirt for his country. It was his first in the Six Nations too.

Ireland's Stuart McCloskey, Nick Timoney and Tom O'Toole during the national anthems. Pic: ©INPHO.

You wouldn’t describe the rare migrations from one side of the front row to another as a one-way street, but there is definitely one direction of travel that throws up less obstruction than the other.

Peter Clohessy always said that the switch from tighthead to loosehead was the easier of the two. How much easier, though? Is it a case of sitting a pass maths exam after studying the honours paper? It’s not simple to quantify.