Fit-again Sexton gets the nod to start against France

fly-half back into his starting lineup to face France tomorrow.

After five weeks out with a calf injury, more than a few observers had wondered whether Schmidt might choose to ease the Leinster fly-half back in gradually, especially with Ulster’s Paddy Jackson having deputised so well in his absence. We ought to have known better.

Sexton has been the linchpin around whom Schmidt has built his Ireland teams ever since he took over in 2013. In bringing his trusted on-field marshal straight back into the fold, the Kiwi has simply reverted to what he knows best for a crucial match against a revitalised and dangerous France team.

The raw statistics appear to back Schmidt up. Since Sexton’s Six Nations debut against England in 2010, Ireland have won 57 per cent of the matches in which the 31-year-old has played (17/30) but only 33 per cent (2/6) of the matches he has missed, including a tight loss against Scotland three weeks ago, when Sexton’s experience might well have made the difference.

In the same period, Sexton has led Ireland to Six Nations triumphs in 2014 and 2015, scored the decisive try in the decisive Lions Test in Sydney in 2013 and become, by general admission, one of the finest No 10s on the planet.

There is another school of thought, though – that Ireland might actually be starting to play a more attacking game with the 25-year-old Jackson in their ranks.

Statistics can be bent to suit any argument – and Jackson has a 63-10 romp against Italy this year to bolster his – but looking at those for this year’s Six Nations compared with last year’s a few interesting ones jump out.

According to Accenture, Jackson has made almost twice the passes per game that Sexton did last year (50.5 to 27.4) and beaten more defenders (2.5 to 1.6). In kicking terms the Ulsterman has used the chip kick far more as a weapon (15 per cent of his kicks from hand as opposed to eight per cent for Sexton) and double the crossfield kicks per game.

Jackson has grown in confidence since being given his head in the tour to South Africa last summer – to the extent that it is now possible to imagine Ireland not starting with Sexton, in a way that would have been unthinkable two years ago when he was the only northern hemisphere player to feature on the International Rugby Board Player of the Year shortlist.

Sexton is a prickly, intense character, ferociously competitive. He has had his fallings-out with coaches and team-mates, from Ronan O’Gara to Brian O’Driscoll, but he remains a totemic presence. He was pulling the strings for their historic 40-29 win over the All Blacks in Chicago last autumn. And when he limped off in the first quarter of the return fixture in Dublin, many of Ireland’s hopes departed with him.

His partnership with scrum-half Conor Murray remains one of Ireland’s greatest strengths. Jackson has made a fine fist of things, but Murray still looks more comfortable with Sexton outside him.

“When Johnny is there in his ear, yapping away, I think he likes that,” notes former Munster player Murray Kinsella, now a journalist. “I think Johnny’s comms are on a different level to most 10s in the world. Certainly to Paddy Jackson’s.”

Schmidt, who made two other changes to the team who thrashed Italy a fortnight ago, with captain Rory Best returning at hooker and Jack McGrath at loosehead, played down suggestions that Sexton might be affected by ring rust. “Two years ago Johnny came back in against the French [after an injury lay-off ] and I thought played really well,”