SEXTON CAN HANDLE THE PRESSURE
THIS could have been a week racked between tension and anticipation. Ireland’s failures in Edinburgh and Cardiff mean, instead, that the build-up to a match against a renewed England has alighted on old, harmless enmities for interest.
But there is more at stake than that. The importance of staying fourth in the world rankings, with a pool draw for the 2019 World Cup less than two months away, was alluded to by Joe Schmidt.
That was notable, as if the coach was subtly laying expectation on his players. There is also the requirement of this group to counter the claim that they are one-off hit-men, good at the occasional upset but incapable of consistency.
Beating the form team in the world would support their case, but it would also bolster the belief of a squad facing disappointment in their third tournament in a row, after the 2015 World Cup, the championship last year and now this.
Johnny Sexton is Ireland’s most important player, and if it was possible his value to the team has increased in the past 24 hours. The injury to Conor Murray means he starts alongside a Six Nations greenhorn tomorrow.
Kieran Marmion (right) has started one match for Ireland, and that was against Canada last November. If there was strength to the argument that Murray was rivalling Sexton in importance over the past 12 months, the scrum-half ’s absence will result in Sexton assuming all the responsibility once more. A rich purple bruise is spread thickly under his left eye after the collision with the thigh of Jonathan Davies a week ago. Sexton the scarred campaigner is becoming a common sight, but he says he feels fit and well and he looks it, too. It is the general condition of the Irish team, and not their No10, that is the concern now. That they are facing a team trying to set a world record for 19 consecutive wins steepens the challenge. ‘They have equalled the All Blacks’ unbeaten record. That speaks for itself,’ says Sexton with characteristic plainness. ‘I think we can say we can beat these teams, but we haven’t come near to 18 wins in a row. That’s what we need to aspire to be like. We can worry about that after Saturday.’ That is the level they seek, and the numbers show they are nowhere near it. The win in Chicago was thrilling, one of the genuinely great days in Irish sport, but as a claim on enduring greatness, it has been weakened by the disappointments of the spring. Defeating a team as good as England would reinvigorate them, but Sexton is not weighing the visiting challenge lightly. ‘We’re playing against the second-best team in the world and some would argue they could be the best,’ he says. ‘They haven’t played the All Blacks yet. We’re going to have to be at our best.’ He argues that Ireland are close, that the performances they have managed in the Six Nations have not been deficient, rather it is little details that have gone against them. ‘I know you will shake your heads, but it does come down to small moments in games,’ he stressed.
That is easier to believe coming from Sexton than others, and another consolation over the past month has been his own form. He missed the opening two matches with a calf injury, and then returned against France to play brilliantly.
And while his effort against Wales was disrupted by a head injury and a yellow card (‘technically, yeah, it is a yellow card by me’) he was still one of the better Irish players.
There is a palpable if understated confidence about him and the thought of trying to beat England without Murray isn’t unsettling him.
‘I feel pressure every game I play for Ireland and every game I play for Leinster because I put pressure on myself and guys around you put pressure on you,’ he says in a manner best described as matter of fact.
‘When you are vice-captain or captain you have got pressure automatically because you need to perform.’
He thinks Marmion will, too — even though the pair enjoyed their first practice session together yesterday.
‘Conor is a world-class scrum-half and we’ve built up a really strong relationship over the last three years, maybe longer. He would be a loss to any team in the world when he’s at his best.
‘But Kieran has been outstanding for Connacht and has had to bide his time. I thought he did really well in difficult circumstances last week against Wales and he’ll be more confident for that effort.
‘I’m sure he’s looking forward to showing people what he can do now, and even though today was really the first session we’ve had together, we got on well and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can bring.’