Battered Sexton ‘should be back for Italy trip’
IRELAND coach Joe Schmidt is confident playmaker Johnny Sexton will return for the reigning Six Nations champions to “kick on” with the defence of their title against Italy in Rome on February 24.
World player of the year Sexton (pictured, AFP) lasted only 24 minutes, after suffering a stamp on the ankle and a head injury, as Ireland bounced back from their opening weekend home loss to England with a 22-13 victory against Scotland at Murrayfield.
The 33-year-old Leinster flyhalf, who had been out of domestic action with a knee tendon injury before the England game, suffered a succession of knocks as he tried to orchestrate the opening stages of a bruising contest and ultimately failed a head injury assessment test.
“Johnny hit the ground quite hard in the lead up to our second try and he failed an HIA,” said Schmidt.
“But he’s pretty good now. We’re confident that he will bounce back quickly.
“He also copped a stamp on the ankle. I don’t even think it was a Scottish foot – I think it was one of our guys who tripped over him.
“It was a little bit cumulative really. We’re always going to err on the side of caution with those because we want to look after people.
“His ankle’s very swollen now but it is just swelling. You can see the graze down his leg. So, from that perspective, he’ll bounce back from that pretty quickly as well.”
Tries from Sexton’s half-back partner Conor Murray and wingers Jacob Stockdale and Keith Earls made sure Schmidt’s side succeeded in bouncing back from the crushing disappointment of their 32-20 loss to England.
They also became the first visiting side to win a Six Nations contest at Murrayfield since England’s 15-9 success on February 6, 2016, ending Scotland’s run of seven successive home wins in the championship.
“There was definitely a rise in temperature, an increase in energy,” Schmidt.
“We j u s t lacked a bit of energy last t week. We’ve got to make sure we kick ck on from here. We’re e relying on ot her r p e o p l e now.
“T h e thing we e don’t have to rely on other people for is how we prepare ourselves lves and how we get out t and play the week after next, and then in n the final two rounds ds [against France at home and Wales away].” y].” said Having opened ope their campaign with a 33-20 home win against Italy, Italy Scotland also remain in contention c for the Six Natio Nations title, though next up for them on February 23 is a trip to face France Fran in Paris, where they last triumphed in 1999.
They could also be without their talismanic fullb a c k S t u a r t Hogg, who had to be replaced in the 16th minute a after suffering a sho shoulder injury in the lead up to the se second Irish try.