His involvement with the set-up is something that had been widely mooted and Simon Easterby confirmed yesterday that Johnny Sexton has spent time with the Ireland squad ahead of their forthcoming Autumn Nations Series.
In the wake of Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand at the quarter-final stage of last year’s Rugby World Cup, Sexton brought the curtain down on a memorable career as a professional player that saw him accumulating an impressive 118 senior caps in the green jersey.
Although the past 12 months has seen him moving away from the oval ball game and into a permanent position with Ardagh Group – a sustainable packaging supplier – it was reported last week that the Dubliner was approached about taking up a part-time mentoring role with Ireland’s outhalves.
While he isn’t present at their current training camp in Portugal, Easterby revealed that Sexton recently linked up with the squad at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre and that his contribution to the set-up mightn’t necessarily be restricted to working with those who are battling for the number 10 spot.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Connacht arrive to Aviva with strong team and high hopes
Fantastic Farrell hat-trick snatches win for Munster over 14-man Ulster
Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year Awards: ‘The greatest collection of women in Irish sport in one place ever assembled’
“He has been involved, for a few days when we were in the HPC. He’s definitely going to be involved over the next few weeks, transitioning in and out. Lending his support to certain individuals within the team,” the Ireland defence coach remarked at a remote press conference from Ireland’s Portuguese base.
“We’ll lean on him for other things [aside from the outhalves]. He’s excited about what potentially he could offer and so are we as coaches, as well as players. It’s great to have him in. He’s a great man, he’s a great personality in the group.
“I guess it is to be seen how much time he is involved in the next four weeks, but certainly at the moment we see him being involved. He has already been in and potentially he is going to come in and out of camp over the next four weeks.”
Yet even though the whole squad could stand to benefit, it is outhalf candidates Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast that undoubtedly have the most to gain from Sexton being back in the international environment. Because his playing history with Ireland is a relatively recent one, Easterby believes the 39-year-old former Leinster star will prove to be the perfect sounding board for the above-mentioned triumvirate.
“I think Johnny, only having retired recently, still has his finger on the pulse in terms of playing in that position. Understanding what we do as a team and trying to impart some of that experience that he’s had across the last few years, in the way we play the game.
Does Munster’s new coach need to be Irish?
“I know Jack Crowley has obviously had time with us and so has Ciaran [Frawley]. Sam less so. I think all those guys are like sponges. They want to learn and they want to understand. Johnny will just be able to give them a bit of guidance at times.
“When you’re leaning on someone like him with that much experience, it’s only a few words here and there sometimes, a little bit of a tip and a bit of feedback. That’s all it might be, but I think it’s something that teams could do more of.
“Lean on guys that are not that long out of the game, but also have massive respect and could have a massive influence on those new guys coming through.”
Even though it is Caelan Doris who will lead Ireland into their forthcoming autumn series – which will see them taking on New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia at the Aviva Stadium – Peter O’Mahony was previously the official captain for the Six Nations Championship and the summer tour of South Africa earlier this year.
Despite being listed amongst Farrell’s squad for the November internationals, O’Mahony is currently still with Munster – where he has been rehabilitating from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined in recent weeks.
However, the Cork native has been named in the Munster side to face an All Blacks XV at Thomond Park tomorrow and if he manages to come through that game unscathed, he may well be in the reckoning for next Friday’s clash with the main New Zealand side in the Aviva.
“The idea is that he gets through the weekend and fingers crossed he’s good to go. At the moment that’s the plan. If that changes, obviously that will be dependent on what happens at the weekend when he plays in the game with Munster,” Easterby added.
