Tears as journey comes to end

bitter losers, we want to hold our head up and deal with it the proper way.

“If you go out with a whimper it’s pretty hard to take isn’t it? We deserve a little bit more of ourselves than that.

“When New Zealand put pressure on us and get soft points there – and score next as well – we’ve seen time and time again with the All Blacks they take the game away from people but these guys kept believing in themselves.

“I’ve been immensely proud of them, of everyone in Irish rugby – of the players who have been involved over the last four years, of the supporters, it feels like one big family.

“The sad thing for us is for this group it’s probably the end. It is for Johnny, Keith Earls is going to retire, our team manager Mick Kearney is going as well. We’ll get smiles back on faces over the next 24 hours and celebrate those people.”

Sexton was in tears at the final whistle as the curtain came down on his illustrious career.

Emotional in the press conference afterwards (above), the 38-year-old said: “How can you be prouder to be Irish when you see what’s happened over the last six weeks, we get behind the team like no other and it’s not wasted on us. That’s why it’s hard to take that we can’t give them a couple more weekends.

“But that’s sport, that’s life, they’ll bounce back with Andy Farrell – and I’ll be sitting in the stand watching. It’s been amazing. This six weeks has been a dream – this group, these fans and I’m just gutted we couldn’t do it for them.

“You’ve got to work hard for fairytale endings and we didn’t get it but that’s life. We left no stone unturned, we ticked every box, trained the house down and played pretty well tonight.

“A few decisions, a bounce of the ball – fair play to the All Blacks.”