'On big weeks, they do come in,' he nodded. When he does turn it on, he knows there will be a flood of supporting messages. In looking to avoid those pitfalls, Sexton spoke of the importance of mental preparation in particular, and so his phone has been off all week. It feels a game that Ireland simply cannot lose and there is a palpable danger in that environment, too. But then I saw how happy someone like Paul O'Connell was, who'd never beaten England previously at Twickenham I think.Ī response from the English following their utter humiliation in Twickenham seems certain, but crediting them with an ability to muster anything that could beat Ireland is based on guesswork rather than reality. 'I remember being a little disappointed after the game because I came off with about 20 to go for Rog (Ronan O'Gara) and I think we were losing at the time, so I wasn't too happy after the game. Yet they remain the defining challenge for an Irish side that became clear to Sexton in the dressing-rooms after that victory in Twickenham all those years ago, and their current straitened times won't devalue the prize should the expected win come at the weekend.
It will be Sexton's 113th game for Ireland in total.Īs in 2010, England seem a mess now, a great power brought low by systemic and personnel issues. It will be his 60th time playing in the championship, a mark Cian Healy should reach off the bench in the Aviva Stadium, leaving them fourth on the Irish list, behind Brian O'Driscoll, Rory Best and Ronan O'Gara. And his last match in the tournament will be against them, the presumed coronation in Dublin on Saturday. It was against one of the competition's traditional big two that he made his first championship start, 13 years ago. Given the great heights at which his career has been played, it is appropriate that England serve as book-ends on the Six Nations career of Sexton. 'So, yeah, it's the people that you rely on, your team-mates, (but) it's very hard to sit here and talk about myself all the time.' 'A lot of other coaches would have said "There's no chance he can get there". 'You're talking about kicking coaches, and I'm very blessed to have the coaches that I have to put the faith in me post the last World Cup. 'I think what I've done is surround myself with good people,' he said. The coach's decision to make Sexton his captain was a surprise, and widely questioned given his age. Valiantly as he tried to deflect the focus from himself, his answers to questions about the magnitude of the day did reveal the gratitude he feels towards Farrell and his staff. They can come and play well when it matters so that's a huge challenge for us this week.' It doesn't matter what sport you play: the best players and the best teams do that. 'In a cup final, being able to turn up, play your own game, be yourself, express yourself, that's the biggest challenge in sport. 'I think we've come on in leaps and bounds in terms of the mental side of our game, and that will be put to the test massively this week. 'When you come to cup finals, the messages are mostly the same,' he said at the Irish high performance centre yesterday. EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - MARCH 12: Ireland captain Johnny Sexton in action during the Six Nations Rugby match between Scotland and Ireland at Murrayfield Stadium on Main Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the steward of the standards driven by O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell, and it's why he is so keen to look past the sentimentality, to what Ireland must produce against England.Īnd the language he used gave an inkling of how the Irish squad are framing this match: as a oneoff, as a final, as the last leg in what would be a rapturously received endurance. Pic: David Rogers/Getty Imagesīeyond the emotion and the theatre of the occasion, there was a game to be won and O'Driscoll helped find a way. Johnny Sexton kicks a conversion during Ireland's Six Nations win over Scotland at Murrayfield.
.jpg "dress up games")
Sexton scored two tries in a contest of exquisite tension that brought Ireland the championship, and O'Driscoll did what was required there, too, almost crossing for a score before Sexton benefitted to claim his second of the contest. He joked about telling his son that he can only come on the pitch at the end if Ireland win, but Sexton will recall, too, that O'Driscoll had one more match left, a trip to Paris the week after his Dublin goodbye. Nobody will admit as much, but be sure there are plans in place for a similar farewell to Sexton should everything go according to plan in two days' time.
#Dress up games full
O'Driscoll's goodbye seemed relevant, too, because it was of a piece with a career that was near picture-perfect: he played well, was replaced allowing a full stadium to give him a standing ovation, and at the end he was given a guard of honour as he left the pitch with his young daughter in his arms.
0 kommentar(er)
