Sexton will continue to play close to the edge

Johnny Sexton will not alter his confrontational playing style, Ireland assistant coach Richie Murphy has insisted.

Head coach Joe Schmidt admitted Sexton acts as bait to opposing defendersinthewakeofthestandoff’s head injury scare in Ireland’s 22-13 Six Nations win over Scotland.

Sexton carries the ball flat to the line, passing at the very last instant to create space for his team-mates, and skills coach Murphy insisted any change would curb that threat.

Sexton lasted just 24 minutes of Ireland’s slender win in Edinburgh on 9 February, but is fully fit for Sunday’s trip to Rome to face Italy.

“He plays flat on the line; when you play flat on the line, you are going to get hit,” said Murphy. “Obviously we don’t want him off the pitch, but there is definitely a fine line between what is fair and what isn’t fair.

“As long as the referees are able to judge that and decide that, Johnny is not going to change the way he plays. If he changes, he is not the same player he was. He doesn’t create the same holes for players that he creates for other people.

“Then there is no point in having him. It’s a twofold thing really. The idea of him changing his game so that he can stay on the pitch doesn’t really fit. He needs to play the game he feels is best. He is a confrontational type of character, he wants to play on the gain line. He wants to create space for others. I can’t see that changing.

“He is going to play the game the way he has done for the last number of years, which is part of what made him World Player of the Year. If it brings him to that level I can’t see him going away from that.”

Sexton’s careful positioning drew Scotland’s defenders out of the line en route to Jacob Stockdale’s fine set-play score as Ireland shrugged off their opening-weekend defeat to England at Murrayfield.

Munster stand-off Joey Carbery piloted Ireland to victory after Sexton was withdrawn injured, and Schmidt might be tempted to hand Carbery a start in Rome.