Andy’s keeping tabs on Johnny
MILLIONS of rugby fans worldwide are watching to see how 37 year-old out-half Johnny Sexton performs in this Six Nations.
And prying Southern Hemisphere eyes and minds yard-sticking his performances ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Their quizzical looks, it seems, will be nothing to the white-hot glare from the Andy Farrell who is less than arm’s length away.
Sexton, leader and captain and all that jazz, has the boss asking all the same questions — and he has told the player.
“There’s no doubts about his age in our mind,” says Farrell going on reveal it is something he hasn’t forgotten either.
“I spoke to him over the last two weeks constantly about ‘there’s no excuse, you need to be at your best’.
“But we also know how much he cares about his rugby and cares about doing such a good job for his team.”
There is, indeed, something comforting in a sense this is a boss watching, feels this an area worth monitoring.
Just in case. Just to be sure ... “Johnny was saying there he was nervous about the game.
“But we were trying to get him to point where he’s just going to be at his best even though he hadn’t played for so long.
“He handles that, runs a team, as in makes the team feel right and then goes out and performs at the same time.
“I thought his goalkicking was excellent as well, it’s a testament to his character.”
Impressive
As it was Sexton had an impressive outing — came off very well in, say, comparison with his opposite number.
Moreover, he was quick to counter any suggestion he had been concussed following confusion over an odd, late second-half exchange with referee Karl Dickson.
Liam Williams had been yellow carded for a high tackle on Sexton just past the hour, the inference being the Irish player had taken a blow to the head.
A couple of minutes later Sexton stayed down and wanted/waved for the physio to come on to look at a ‘dead leg’.
As this unfolded Dickson was clearly heard to say “he doesn’t know what he is doing”.
However, this was meant in reference to Ross Byrne, tracksuit off, standing on the sideline waiting to come on.
That is, Sexton did not know whether he was to get treatment on the pitch or he was being subbed and would be treated off the pitch.
“I was trying to get the physio on because I’d a bit of a dead leg,” explained Sexton afterwards.
“The ref asked if I needed an HIA, I said I needed to get a quad strapped. So I went off and did a HIA, had to do it, all good, obviously.”
Sexton, Andy Farrell later confirmed, is not a doubt for France next Saturday.
Moreover, the coach pronounced himself pleased with his leadership as the captain had cracked the whip and got shirty with teammates in the third quarter. Explained Sexton of a point where Ireland had conceded five consecutive penalties: “Suddenly, we go from pretty comfortable lead where if they score again we’re in trouble, the stadium would have gone mental.
“When it’s Test rugby, the other teams are going to have purple patch and it is about how get over it. “They are pretty easy fix-ups, ‘stop giving away stupid penalties and do your job’.
“We stopped doing that, looked good again. We messed up a couple of plays in the backs, and while you learn important lessons when you lose, you also learn lessons in victory and we can take a lot of lessons from this,” said Sexton.