This is really stirring the pot.
Nice motivation for Johnny Sexton on the week of a crucial match.
Simon Zebo is currently tearing it up for Racing 92 and Donnacha Ryan is still trucking away after playing an integral role in the Parisians reaching last season’s Champions Cup final.
Duncan Casey (Grenoble), Dave Foley, Paddy Butler and Sean Dougall (all Pau) are tipping away nicely in the Pro14 while, down in Pro D2, Stuart Olding has been very assured for Brive.
Still, ahead of Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations clash with France, on Sunday (3pm kick-off), leading French outlet Rugbyrama has chosen to focus on what they deem to be ‘Irish flops’ that have appeared in the Top 14.
Sexton tops the list of players deemed to be failures in France. Rugbyrama is the sister website of respected French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique and is run in association with Eurosport. The unlucky foursome are:
- Johnny Sexton (Racing)
- Ian Madigan (Bordeaux)
- Paddy Jackson (Perpignan)
- James Hart (Grenoble/Racing)
Sexton was with Racing 92 (then Racing Metro) for two seasons, with the club reaching the Top 14 playoffs both years he was there. In his first season, Sexton finished ninth top scorer, on 214 points, despite missing regular season games due to international duty. Racing did not get out of their group in the 2013/14 Champions Cup but reached the quarters the following year.
Two of the big talking points from Sexton’s stay in France was when he was sat out of action for 12 weeks after being concussed on a couple of occasions, and former coach Laurent Labit reportedly referring to him as the Zlatan Ibrahimovic of rugby (in that he was often aloof and temperamental but undoubtedly talented).
Sexton would openly admit that his stint in Paris did not go exactly the was he would have envisaged. However, to put him atop a four-man list of Irish ‘flops’ seems unduly harsh as he was spoken of highly by former teammates, and former coach Ronan O’Gara, at Racing.
‘Not clicking’ for Sexton
Ahead of that Six Nations encounter with France, on Baz and Andrew’s House of Rugby, Andrew Trimble predicted Sexton and half-back partner Conor Murray would be kept in tandem:
“I reckon Ireland will stick with them. They’re going okay but it’s still not coming together for the team… there are one or two bits in the pattern not clicking like it was in the autumn, or for most of last year. And they are the two ones that are catching and passing the ball the most.
“I’d say they’ll keep playing them in the hope that they get it back. Ireland are obviously frustrated at the minute but they are very, very fine margins. A few of those passes go to hand and they’ll get momentum and get those big ball-carriers like Seanie O’Brien over the gainline.”
Addressing the other three inclusions in that Rugbyrama list, Ian Madigan – accused of ‘clumsy footwork’ in the piece – left after only a year with Bordeaux Begles and did not enjoy a great time in the Top 14. Paddy Jackson was signed to a mediocre Perpignan side that have been meat and drink to some of the Top 14 sides this season, going winless all the way into late February.
As for James Hart, he had two excellent seasons with Grenoble, under Bernard Jackman, before losing his starting scrumhalf spot to South African Charl McLeod. Recommended by O’Gara, Racing signed Hart to be back-up by Maxime Machenaud but he struggled to make an impact during his two seasons there, before being signed by Munster.
