SEXTRA IN THE TANK

Talismanic out-half Johnny, 32, insists he has no plans for his retirement yet

JOHNNY SEXTON is hungry for more after putting what Jamie Heaslip calls the “afterlife” firmly on the backburner.

The 32-year-old out-half could be forgiven for returning to Leinster duty looking tired.

His last game was on July 8 in Auckland, when he played in that thrilling final Lions Test against the All Blacks.

His wrist has been in a splint for few weeks since – and will be for a couple more. There’s certainly a lot of mileage on the Sexton clock but he feels refreshed and ready for more.

The prospect of another grind of a season is something to embrace, fuelled by the memory of losing out on glory with Leinster, Ireland and the Lions over the last few months.

“I feel hungry,” Sexton said. “Last season was a disappointment in many ways so I’m hungry and want to keep going. I can’t say how long because no one knows. You see guys like Donncha O’callaghan and Peter Stringer still going to their 40th birthdays and Rory Best turning 35 this month having just played a Lions tour.

“It gives you hope if you look after yourself. You’ve got people coming in keeping you fresh and hungry – Stuart Lancaster at Leinster, guys coming in with Ireland and Joe Schmidt still being there.

“Andy Farrell came in last year, really bringing more to the party. We’ll see how long, I don’t know.”

Renowned for his competi- tive nature, is there a danger that Sexton won’t recognise the signs that it’s time to go?

Will he be told he should go or will he know instinctively?

“I think people know, that’s what all the lads who have gone before me have said,” replied the out-half.

“You just know, you don’t feel the way you normally do coming into pre-season. It’s like, ‘Not another season’.

“I don’t feel like that but that’s not saying it won’t happen in the next few years.

“But I’m happy and hungry at the moment and just want to crack on, get a good few games under my belt – especially for

Leinster as I didn’t play as much as I would have liked last season.”

Shoulder surgery last year prevented him getting a proper run-in to that campaign but, like the other Leinster Lions, it will be round five or six of the new championship before he wears the blue jersey again.

Leinster were beaten in the PRO12 final in 2016 and in the semi-finals last season, while also losing in the last four of the Champions Cup.

“We put ourselves in a position and to lose two semi-finals was gutting,” Sexton recalled. “But for all of us, not just the young guys, it was a big learning in how we prepare.”