France will come after Johnny Sexton this weekend but, then, what’s new?
Each and every time Sexton has played France, Les Bleus have sent the big guys down his channel on a flattening mission.
March 2014
February 2015
October 2015
February 2016
January 2017 (Montpellier vs. Leinster)
And that’s just the last five games.
Sexton is back in the 10 jersey and despite all the platitudes, Paddy Jackson was merely keeping it warm in his absence.
“Johnny trained well today and fully on Tuesday,” said Ireland coach Joe Schmidt today. “He’s highly motivated to get into the game on Saturday.”
Sexton will be highly motivated to pull some strings at the Aviva Stadium but the French will be equally motivated to shut him down, knock him down and grind him down. Schmidt insists he has full faith in his out-half to stand up to every kitchen sink flung his way. He commented:
“We know it’s going to be physical; it doesn’t matter who you play it’s going to be physical. Two years ago Johnny came back in against the French and I thought played really well.
“He got some fairly physical impacts on that day and he hadn’t played for 12 weeks, and I thought he was super.
“So again that’s part of what you base your decision-making on. What have people done in the past? Can they replicate that in the future?
“Well if they’ve done it in the past they’re more likely to replicate it. So we are confident, I think Johnny is confident as well, and I think that’s important.”
Back in 2015, after 12 weeks out due to concussions precautions, Sexton returned in the middle of the Six Nations and was named man-of-the-match in an 18-11 victory [his fourth in eight games against France]. He has scored 67 points against Les Bleus, including four tries, and he has another two try assists to his name. He does not fear France.
They don’t come much braver or more stubborn than Sexton.
The hits will come but Sexton, and Ireland, will be hopeful of landing some big ones first.
