Sexton will be back for Leinster despite knocks

LEINSTER have insisted there is no issue with Johnny Sexton following reports that the outhalf left Aviva Stadium in a sling after Ireland’s 13-9 Six Nations win against England on Saturday. Sexton — who played the full 80 minutes for the first time since a Pro12 clash with Cardiff Blues on October 1 — was subject to the usual barrage of heavy, often late, hits throughout the game. Reports of a suspected injury have sparked concerns about his fitness ahead of next weekend’s European Champions Cup quarter-final against Wasps. However, Leinster scrum coach John Fogarty yesterday insisted that the province are not aware of any problems with their prize asset, but admitted some of the tackles during Saturday’s game were questionable – in particular the first-half hit from Maro Itoje which went unpunished by referee Jerome Garces. ‘He’s alright,’ said Fogarty. ‘Clearly he shipped a few knocks. I think a couple of them were questionable. The Itoje one is questionable. If someone like Johnny, and Joey (Carbery) does it as well, where they bring the ball to the line. They’re focusing on making sure they see the pass. It’s dangerous for

them. ‘I think the Itoje one is probably one that was a bit too much. But Johnny is good, in good form. He looks healthy. ‘I didn’t see him in any sling this morning. I don’t know how he left the pitch. He was certainly downstairs talking to the lads and as far as I am aware, he’s healthy.’ Officially, Sexton falls into the same category as the rest of his 15 Leinster team-mates involved with Ireland last weekend, all of which are to be assessed on a case-by-case basis ahead of selection for the Pro12 clash with Cardiff Blues. And the Leinster No10 can expect to be subjected to the same treatment on his next visit to the Aviva for that crucial tie with Wasps. ‘They will look to tackle Johnny,’ Fogarty continued. ‘It’s not something that we’ve talked about or are worried about. I’m sure that they’re going to want to put as much pressure (on him), and something that Johnny did actually really well was put a load of pressure on them. That’s the nature of the game. ‘You want to put Johnny under pressure because he’s key to our attack. We have other players in our system that we can rely on to attack as well, and I think that when we play Wasps, hopefully we’ll be able to attack through Johnny and through other players on the field.’ While Sexton is reportedly good to go, Leo Cullen won’t have either Rob Kearney or Jamie Heaslip available. The latter’s late withdrawal ahead of the England game was in some quarters suspected of being a tactical decision by Joe Schmidt, with Peter O’Mahony’s inclusion designed to catch Eddie Jones’ side off guard. ‘He’s not going to be involved,’ said Fogarty ‘I think it stems from a lower back issue that Jamie is having.’ Kearney is due to meet with a specialist today after picking up a knee injury in Ireland training last Tuesday.