Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HE QUICKLY TOLD ME: F*** OFF
Leinster legend O’kelly reveals how Sexton showed no fear and even less respect for reputations when he burst onto scene at RDS
VERY few team-mates barked at Irish rugby giant Malcolm O’kelly – Johnny Sexton was only in place a “wet week” when he did so.
Back at the RDS to publicise the upcoming Ireland v England legends game, O’kelly (right) gave a fascinating insight into the temperament and character of the World
Player of the Year.
“He told me to f*** off,” recalled the Leinster and Ireland legend.
“He’s always going to be fiery. I can remember the first time I was with him in a match and he abused the hell out of me – and I was the elder statesman of the team.
“I told him to get back (to number) 10. He was giving out. He’d just given away a penalty and he told me to f*** off.
“He was only in there a wet week. I was pretty pissed off with him. So I gave out to him – and he gave out to me again.”
Sexton is under the spotlight over his handling as Leinster’s captain of last Saturday’s defeat to Munster. Brian O’driscoll subsequently described his former colleague as “antagonistic”.
O’kelly shrugged at the description. “Well that’s the type of guy he is,” said the giant former second row. O’kelly played alongside the emerging out-half from the mid-noughties until his retirement in 2010.
“They’re taking a lot from the fact that he had conversations with the referee (Frank Murphy on Saturday). “Most guys have conversations with the referee. Are we saying that he went over the line? He was just being feisty.”
Asked if he believes Sexton is captaincy material, O’kelly replied: “Well he’s a great leader, it’s just whether he was given the hat. He was a leader from day one.
“Off the pitch, he runs the show. Now they’ve just said ‘Look, now you’ve got that (captaincy).’ It’s a lot for him. “Leinster wanted him there because they just lost Isa (Nacewa). I think Johnny really wants it.
“There’s no perfect captain material. Brian O’driscoll became captain but was very quiet – he was his own man, a bit of a dude.
“By the end he was proper captain material. But Johnny has only stepped into it, so you have give him a bit of a leash. That was his biggest challenge so far.
“Maybe if he doesn’t recover and improve his attitude... it might be good for him that he has to cool it down. Maybe he shouldn’t be a captain, I don’t know.
“But is it antagonistic? I know Martin Johnson, Mick Galwey, these type of guys, they pressured referees.
“Johnny is an abrasive character but also a good player. He must be respected as well by the referee.
“If he feels they’re not getting a fair crack of the whip, maybe he needs to say it. I can understand what he was saying
(on Saturday).
“There was an issue that Conor Murray had a high tackle and
Cian Healy had been binned for the same thing.
“The referee can say, ‘That’s their first one’ – Cian was a result of three by Leinster before Cian got binned. It was Munster’s first one that we saw... I’m sure there were a couple of others.”