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28th September 2024
04:51pm BST
Former Ireland and Leinster second-row Devin Toner has received tons of praise from fans after he gave an impassioned speech to mark his ex-teammate Cian Healy's record-breaking night at Aviva Stadium.
Leo Cullen's side beat Newport Gwent Dragons 34-6 in Dublin last night as Healy donned the blue jersey for the 281st time, surpassing a record previously held by Toner who retired in 2022.
The 36-year-old could well extend the record further with plenty of opportunities to come in the season ahead and no signs of him hanging up his boots anytime soon.
Toner himself made a special appearance in the dressing room after the game to hand Healy his ceremonial cap, revealing that the Leinster boss and coach Sean O’Brien asked him to come back for the ceremony.
"First of all, congrats Church. A lot of people have asked me [if] I’m p***ed off you’re breaking the record," said the 38-year-old.
"But honestly I’m not. I couldn’t be happier that a more deserving person is doing it, to be honest.
"When you look at your career – 281 for Leinster, 131 for Ireland – throw in a couple of near-career-ending injuries, I think it’s a phenomenal achievement and a testament to you as a person and as a player to get to where you have and stay there for so long.
"I think when you look at Leinster over the past 20 years, you’ve been there for all the highs but you’ve also been there for all the lows as well."
"I couldn't be happier that a more deserving person is breaking my record." 🤝
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) September 27, 2024
Devin Toner presents Cian Healy with his record breaking cap. 🧢💙#LEIvDRA #FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/MJ3oqWeRwl
Toner continued: "Of all the special times that happened with Leinster, you were there.
"It’s a record that I don’t think is going to be broken…"
Toner was alongside Healy for the province’s four European triumphs since 2009 and the pair shared the stage on international duty together on many occasions.
In total, Healy has won four European Rugby Champions Cups, seven United Rugby Championships and one European Challenge Cups.
As for his Ireland career, the Clontarf-born prop won five Six Nations Championships, two Grand Slams and three Triple Crowns.
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