Jonathan Sexton is a retired player now. Has been since Saturday night when the Ireland team he captained was surprisingly knocked out of the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals by New Zealand in Paris. The game’s master conductor has put down his baton and walked off the stage.
Ireland’s Johnny Sexton waves to fans at the end of the Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Ireland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Ireland’s Johnny Sexton acknowledges the fans after the end of the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. New Zealand won the game 28-24.
“We looked on with open mouths. He’s called out BOD! What next? There were a few comments along the lines of ‘fair play to him’ but mainly lads were muttering, ‘Jesus, what does he think he’s at?’”France’s star backs flop as they lose to South Africa in Rugby World Cup quarterfinalsquarterfinals by New Zealand in Paris. The game’s master conductor has put down his baton and walked off the stage.“That much rugby IP, it would be such a shame to pass it up,” O’Driscoll told the Off The Ball show.
“Working with Johnny, you can let him go and he can run the show,” Ireland assistant coach Mike Catt said. “He is one step ahead of the game and his thought process is exceptionally quick in terms of where the next play is going. He has a real knack of understanding how we want to play the game, obviously, but then him being able to see it and the authority he drives round the team, you can’t but listen to him.
Kearney played with Sexton for nearly 20 years, from the time they were teens. In his book, Kearney recalled Ireland gathered behind their posts after a move broke down in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Japan and it leading to another New Zealand try. The son of a rugby club stalwart and nephew of a brief Ireland test flanker in the 1980s, William Sexton, Jonathan had a self-confidence on the field from a young age. By 15, he’d told family he was going to play for Ireland. By 16, he’d kicked the winning drop goal in the Leinster schools final.
The hurt of that drove Sexton to want to finish his career on a high, and Ireland’s central contracts system allowed him to be protected and optimally prepared at an age — 38 — when many are long retired.
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