No place like Rome.. to make a comeback
SEXTON SET TO RETURN TO TEAM IN ITALY
JOHNNY SEXTON is poised to start in Rome on Sunday as Ireland look to ramp up their Six Nations challenge.
Beaten at home on the opening week by England, Joe Schmidt’s side got their title defence up and running seven days later with victory at Murrayfield.
Sexton took a battering in that win and had to come off after 23 minutes, although an accidental stamp on his ankle by team-mate Peter O’mahony played as much of a part in his early withdrawal as four big hits by the hosts.
But Joey Carbery – who played the remainder of that game – seems set to have to wait a little longer for his first Six Nations start after Sexton’s recovery.
The World Player of the Year, 33, only has 103 minutes of action under his belt in 2019 and, with big clashes with France and Wales to come, Schmidt will want his first-choice out-half at full pelt.
“That’s the big thing, Johnny definitely hasn’t played a hell of a lot of rugby and because of that it makes it tough just to get the feel,” said assistant Ireland coach Richie Murphy.
“He hasn’t played enough to be at full tilt yet but the one thing that he’s always been able to do is come
in and hit the ground running. The Johnny and Joey balance would be incredibly important and what way that pans out this week, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
On the back of his consistent performances for Munster since moving last summer from Leinster, Carbery is increasingly being talked up as a real rival to Sexton.
The last time Sexton had to deal with a serious competitor for the playmaker role was at the 2011 World Cup, when Ronan O’gara was still in situ.
And while Carbery threw an intercept pass that gifted the Scots a try, he also created the winning score with a brilliant break.
“Joey has gone massively in the right direction,” said Murphy, who is Ireland’s specialist kicking coach.
“All those games that he played at 10 were pressure games. Some of them haven’t gone exactly his way and he’s bounced back really well.
“Obviously Castres away in the Champions Cup, he missed a couple of kicks, came back from them and I think he’s kicked 22 in a row.
“A lot of media have been talking him up as being very much in competition with Johnny, where this time last year we probably wouldn’t have seen that. So I think the move has really helped him.”