‘They've been consistently performing well' – Johnny Sexton defends size of Ireland's Lions contingent
Johnny Sexton has defended Andy Farrell's decision to pick 16 Irish players in his 38-man Lions squad.
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The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'Maybe I was tricking myself' - Sexton on his full-time return to rugby
JUST WHEN HE thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Johnny Sexton moved on from rugby upon retiring after the 2023 World Cup. He went straight into a new job as chief of staff for Ardagh Group, who produce glass and metal products. Sexton had an offer from the IRFU to switch straight into coaching, but he said he didn't want to immediately be coaching lads he had just been playing with. Indeed, Sexton said he wasn't sure he ever wanted to be a coach at all. Today, Sexton sat in the swank UCD University Club after coaching a Lions training session in the sun at the UCD Bowl, and admitted that deep down, he sensed he would struggle to stay away from the game. 'Maybe I was tricking myself, I'm not sure,' said a relaxed Sexton, who took up a part-time role with Ireland last autumn and will move into a full-time position with the IRFU next season, having had a full-on summer as one of Andy Farrell's Lions assistants. His IRFU role will mean continuing to work with Farrell's Ireland, as well as with men's and women's Irish age-grade teams. Farrell was the one who convinced Sexton to get back into the game. He rang his former out-half and captain ahead of the November Tests, explaining that he felt Ireland's kickers and young out-halves needed some guidance. Sexton enjoyed that, so they rolled on into the Six Nations, with the 39-year-old taking on even more responsibility in the Ireland set-up. He started to join the group on match days. 'I loved it, I loved being back in an environment where I was comfortable,' said Sexton. 'I've spent a lot of time in rugby and felt I had a bit to give back to those number 10s, and the leadership group, trying to help them out. Advertisement Sexton working with Marcus Smith. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'Then obviously I got the phone call from Faz to do both roles and it would obviously have to be full-time and I jumped at it. 'It's something I kind of always wanted to get into deep down and the reason I didn't was I didn't really want to coach lads I'd played with so that break was good for me, albeit that it was only for a full year. 'And the other reason was because I'm not the guy who wants to go and travel, go to France, go to New Zealand, a bit like O'Gara has done. I don't want to do that. I want to be in Ireland… but I've got to concentrate on the here and now. 'That's ultimately how I made the decision. I've got to make myself happy here and now, and not worry about the future. If it's only for two years, it's only for two years. We'll see what happens, just enjoy the moment and try to make the most of it.' His brief period outside rugby was valuable, Sexton feels. 'It was a great experience for me. I learned a lot, I threw myself into it. I was in it for the long haul in my own mind. 'But, having made the decision now, I feel I'm where I should be in terms of in sport, in rugby and loving being part of it and trying to challenge myself.' A year-long gap might have helped, but the reality is that Sexton has been coaching many of his former team-mates with Ireland and will do so again this summer with the Lions. He said there are pros and cons. 'I know these guys really well and with that comes a challenge in how you deal with them, particularly when they're friends. And it's the same thing when you're meeting people for the first time, there's pros and cons with that. Sexton will go full-time with the IRFU next season. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'You have to try to get to know them as people, get to know their strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes you can have a perception of a player from what you see through a TV screen. Then you can see something different live, you can see a different person to what you expected. I'm enjoying being back, that's the main thing.' Being part of this Lions tour was all the more alluring for Sexton because he missed out on selection in 2021 when Warren Gatland decided to omit him. Having been a Lion in 2013 and 2017, Sexton understands that it's 'right up there' in terms of career highs. So he's excited to be stuck into his third Lions tour. Sexton was with the squad in Portugal last week and now in Dublin this week as they prepare for Friday night's opening warm-up game against Argentina in the Aviva Stadium. His role centres around the Lions' kicking game, so he will be working closely with Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, who were in camp in Portugal, and Finn Russell, who will join today following Bath's Premiership success. 'Remarkably talented, great characters, great people,' said Sexton of the Lions out-halves. But it seems obvious that Sexton will have a big influence in this Lions set-up beyond just the kicking and the out-halves. 'Hopefully, I can add value because that's ultimately what you want when you come into a job,' he said. 'You want to feel like you're making a difference and I want the players to say, 'He's been good for me.' 'I want to impart some of the knowledge that I've picked up over 17 years as a pro, to give it back.'
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Maybe I was tricking myself' – Johnny Sexton makes honest admission about initially shunning coaching
JOHNNY SEXTON has admitted that he was probably kidding himself about whether he would go into coaching. In the build-up to his swansong at the Rugby World Cup, Sexton insisted he would not go straight into coaching, because he did not want to work with former teammates. Advertisement 2 Sexton has fully thrown himself into coaching over the past few months Credit: PA 2 The Lions' first outing will be on Friday at the Aviva Stadium against Argentina He also expressed doubt as to whether he would become a coach at all and But, within 12 months, he had been persuaded by Andy Farrell to come back into Ireland camp as a mentor on a casual basis which was continued for the Six Nations. In April, it was confirmed he would chuck in his office job to Speaking for the first time since that announcement, Sexton said: 'It was a great experience for me. I learned a lot, I threw myself into it, I was in it for the long haul in my own mind. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport 'Maybe I was tricking myself, I'm not sure. But, having made the decision now, I'm kind of like, I feel I'm where I should be in terms of in sport, in rugby, and loving being part of it and trying to challenge myself in here now. "Last November, Andy asked me to come in and help out. He thought the kickers and young tens needed a little bit of help, so I did as much as I could with my work. "He then asked me to come in for the Six Nations, and it was maybe a little bit more, but not much. I loved it, I loved being back in an environment where I was comfortable. "I've spent a lot of time in rugby and felt I had a bit to give back to those number tens, and the leadership group, trying to help them out. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union 'It was really enjoyable and then obviously got the phonecall from Faz to do both roles and it would obviously have to be full-time and I jumped at it. "It's something I kind of always wanted to get into deep down and the reason I didn't was I didn't really want to coach lads I'd played with so that break was good for me, albeit that it was only for a full year. Inside Leinster's boozy celebrations as stars dance on team bus while leaving Croke Park as URC champs 'And the other reason was because I'm not the guy who wants to go and travel, go to France, go to New Zealand, a bit like Ronan O'Gara has done. "I don't want to do that. I want to be in Ireland but I've got to concentrate on the here and now. Advertisement "That's ultimately how I made the decision, I've got to make myself happy here and now, and not worry about the future. If it's only for two years, it's only for two years. "We'll see what happens, just enjoy the moment and try to make the most of it." IRISH THERE ON MERIT Sexton dismissed that the Irish contingent - which now stands at 16 The former out-half said: 'Well Ireland have done pretty well over the last few years I think, having won the Championship last year, the Grand Slam the year before. Advertisement 'So you're probably looking at form over the last three years. With some players, I think the coaches probably look at form over seven, eight, nine years. It's not just if you played well in a couple of games in the Six Nations. 'You can force your way in but sometimes you take a bigger picture look with players and obviously they know the way Andy coaches, they know the system, so it didn't surprise me 'I can go through the players and think 'who are you talking about that you wouldn't have picked?' because for me, in the last three or four years, they've been consistently performing well. 'Sometimes you can be swayed by how the Six Nations finished when the first game, Ireland v England, that was a great performance and that still comes into consideration. Advertisement 'I have never seen as thorough a process in terms of all the combinations, the amount of players that were considered, the amount of players that were talked about. "Andy did all of those players justice in terms of putting enough research, work, asked relevant people and he's picked the squad that he thinks gives him the best chance to win the tour.'
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
Irish performance coach Gary Keegan joins Farrell's Lions
IRELAND PERFORMANCE COACH Gary Keegan has joined Andy Farrell's coaching staff for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. Keegan has been an influential figure in the Ireland set-up in recent years, working with the Irish players on their mental skills and combining with Farrell to set the tone among the squad for each campaign. Keegan – who made his name in Irish Olympic boxing and with the Dublin football team – began working with Ireland part-time in 2020 and joined Farrell's staff permanently in 2022. Ireland's players have raved about his influence on the group, while Keegan has become a trusted right-hand man for Farrell. As such, it is no surprise that Farrell has brought Keegan into the Lions set-up for the upcoming tour to Australia. Keegan will be the Lions' performance coach, carrying out the same role as he does with Ireland. Advertisement Keegan is one of many Irish staff joining Farrell for the trip Down Under. Four of Farrell's Ireland assistant coaches – Simon Easterby, John Fogarty, Johnny Sexton, and Andrew Goodman – are going on the Lions tour, while a group of Irish backroom staff are also travelling. Vinny Hammond, Ireland's head of innovation and analytics, is the Lions' head of analysis for this tour, while head of athletic performance Aled Walters is also travelling with the Lions. Former IRFU performance director David Nucifora is the general manager of performance for the tourists. Farrell's Lions have also brought in Irish medical, communications, and logistics staff for the tour to Australia, while Andy Farrell's playing squad includes 16 Irish players. Paul O'Connell is the only Ireland assistant coach remaining with the national team squad for their tour to Georgia and Portugal.
