Sexton may start ahead of Carbery in Rome
Quinn happy to keep doing dirty work
JOHNNY SEXTON is in line to start Ireland’s Six Nations meeting with Italy in Rome. Joe Schmidt is poised to give several fringe players the opportunity to press their claims against the Azzurri on Sunday, but it seems Sexton will remain at out-half. Ireland’s No 10 has played 103 minutes of rugby since Leinster’s loss to Munster in Thomond Park on December 29 and lasted just 23 minutes of Ireland’s 22-13 win over Scotland in Murrayfield. Sunday’s encounter looks a prime opportunity to give Joey Carbery more exposure at out-half, but Ireland skills coach Richie Murphy hinted that Sexton could do with a run-out against Italy from the start. ‘I think that’s the big thing, he hasn’t played a hell of a lot and because of that, it makes it tough just to get the feel,’ he said. ‘But the one thing that he’s always been able to do is hit the ground running. The big thing would be that, the Johnny and Joey balance. What way that pans out this week, we’ll just have to wait and see. ‘Johnny actually started [the Scottish game] really well in creating space for the try and a few overlaps on occasions where he was pretty close to actually unpicking them, so it’s
HITTING rucks is one of the most thankless, but also one of the most important, tasks on the rugby field. The likes of Jacob Stockdale get the plaudits and grab the headlines for the box-office moments in games, while the likes of Quinn Roux quietly and effectively go about their business at the coalface.
No player hit more rucks against Scotland than the South Africanborn lock. Roux paid a visit to 54 different breakdowns during Ireland’s 22-13 win at Murrayfield last time out.
It’s the kind of unseen work that will pass by the casual fan. Joe Schmidt notices, though, and that’s all the matters when a player is on Ireland duty.
‘It’s not the prettiest thing to look at, people hitting rucks, so that’s not going to get attention that a really good ball carrier or a really good poacher over the ball is going to get,’ said Roux.
‘I guess it’s all about the people in the environment who you work with that really appreciate that. And that’s all that really matters.
‘If there’s a good bit of publicity coming out about that, you are never going to say no because it is not something that I would say people will go to the stadium and look at — how many rucks someone has hit.
‘It’s the dirty work and someone needs to do it. I kind of take pride in doing that and it’s good to see that some people notice it on the weekend.
‘Like I said, it needs to be appreciated in the working environment and if your coaches and team-mates appreciate it, that’s really all that matters at the end of the day.’
Injuries to Devin Toner, Iain Henderson and Tadhg Beirne opened the door for Roux to press his claim for further selection in the opening rounds of the Six Nations. An effective cameo off the bench against England was followed by his first championship start against the Scots, which came with the added pressure of calling the line-out. There are a fair share of pundits and fans who have been unconvinced by Roux’s credentials in the past, particularly given he qualifies for Ireland via the controversial three-year residency ruling.
Schmidt, however, has always seen potential in the giant second row. It was the Kiwi who first brought Roux to these shores in 2012 when he was Leinster head coach. He was a young lock at the Stormers then, learning his trade from Eben Etzebeth. Despite dips in form at Leinster (he admits he didn’t get on well with Schmidt’s successor Matt O’Connor) and a move to Connacht, the Ireland head coach has always seen potential.
‘It is nice to have a bit of trust installed as well,’ said Roux.
‘It’s just me trying to get better every week and trying to make sure the stuff that I do, I keep on improving.
‘There were a few things I did against Scotland that weren’t as accurate as it should be. So it’s not all about the stats and numbers
‘There is definitely a bit of stuff to work on and hopefully we can improve on that next week.’
With 10 caps to his name, Roux is very much an Irishman these days. He made it official recently at a ceremony in Killarney when he became a citizen of this island, following in the footsteps of Schmidt, who got his Irish passport back in 2015.
‘I’m an Irish citizen now,’ he said. ‘I got my passport a week ago and it has been really good for me.
‘I’m just trying to give as much back as I can on the rugby pitch and in this environment, especially in Connacht as well. Whatever I can give back I will give back.
’It’s life-changing. It makes a big difference for me and, hopefully, for my kids one day.’