Johnny Sexton has had more enjoyable days at the office.
After scoring the drop goal of a lifetime after 41 nerve jangling phases in France, after starring in Ireland’s entire Six Nations campaign and after being rewarded with the World Player of the year crown, things couldn’t have been going much better for Leinster’s fly half going down to Thomond Park.
Suppose a fairytale has to end sometime.
For the Dubliner, reality came crashing down on a cold Saturday night in December when Munster frustrated the blues to the point of indiscipline and no player was as wound up as the best player in the world.
He was handed a harsh welcome to Limerick by Munster flanker Fineen Wycherley with just two minutes on the clock and Sexton’s hyped up reaction was an invitation for Johann van Graan’s men to poke the bear some more.
That early clash between Johnny Sexton and Munster flanker Fineen Wycherley
Was Sexton lucky to avoid a card?
Match is LIVE over on @eirSport 1 right now pic.twitter.com/Hoy4IDIfHx— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 29, 2018
The home side were never going to turn that down.
Jean Kleyn took his chance about five minutes later hounding the opposition’s number ten down some seconds after his clearing kick had sailed away.
Sexton is no stranger to those borderline ones but that doesn’t make them any easier to take.
By this stage, Sexton felt hard-done by and Munster smelled blood. Ireland’s greatest rivalry was simmering on the very edge and Leinster’s leader was in the middle of it all.
He shipped a few more hits, dished a few of his own and all the way through, referee Frank Murphy never looked too far away from a tongue lashing from him.
Speaking after the game, Sexton discussed his thoughts on the referee’s performance in a game when his teammate James Lowe was red carded and both Tadhg Furlong and Cian Healy got yellows.
“The decisions with the yellow cards, I didn’t say anything to the ref about those decisions. James was obviously accidentally but by the letter of the law it’s red and the other two guys, they were yellow cards. It was only one decision I sort of argued with, I got a penalty against me for retaliation and then 10 minutes later, they retaliated and there was no reversal.
“That was the only decision I really had a problem with, or maybe James Ryan’s one late in the first half where the ball squirts out and we got penalised for that. Other than that, I thought the decisions were correct.
He assured that Leinster were prepared for a battle like the one they met in the lion’s den, just that the cards cost them dearly.
“Yeah, it was just those three decisions around the cards. Two guys going down, high tackle and then with Tadhg’s one, there’s someone in the way and he just disappears at the last moment and Tadhg connects with his head. It was obviously accidental, Tadhg and James’ one.
They won’t want it to happen again.
“They’re three decisions and there are other penalties we shouldn’t have given away and we’re going to have to look at. It cost us dearly today, but it’s a good learning for us as if that happens against Toulouse, we lose and could be out of Europe.”
