Johnny Sexton has blamed the Kerry in him for most infamous moment of his career.
You sometimes (often) get the sense the Leinster and Ireland fly-half endures rather than enjoys media interviews. One of the nation’s most feted sportsmen, Sexton still seems cagey and defensive – often coming across as a little defensive.
The coverage of his concussion issues last season annoyed him greatly and the 31-year-old gives the impression of being constantly wary in interviews.
The Lions number 10 was braving the media circuit this week as part of some promotional work for an airline, the culmination of which was an appearance on Friday night’s ‘Late, Late Show’, where host Ryan Tubridy was not shy about bringing up an issue Sexton says he is “sick of”.
Namely his relationship with Ronan O’Gara.
Tubridy showed him the famous picture of the young Leinster man screaming in the face of Ronan O’Gara following Gordon D’Arcy’s try in the 2009 Heineken Cup quarter-final.
Sexton had previously revealed that O’Gara had called him a “nobody” in their last meeting at Thomond Park, but on Friday night Sexton said the incident in Croke Park was a big regret.
“I let myself down a little in that moment,” he said. “A lot of the Munster players have said to me after that they respected me for doing it, because it was a very Munster thing to do.
“It was probably the little bit of Kerry in me that got me in that trouble,” said Sexton, who spent many of his childhood summers in Listowel.
Johnny Sexton on his rivalry with Ronan O’Gara, the regrets he has and why he’s sick of talking about it #latelatehttps://t.co/Z8ZbhyWXen
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) October 28, 2016
Sexton may be a little tetchy at times, but you can’t blame him at moments like this when he is constantly asked about his former coach at Racing Metro.
“I can’t do an interview without talking about Ronan,” he said.
“Paul O’Connell gives us awful slagging about it,” he said. “‘When are you going to do your next interview about ROG?’ and ‘When is ROG going to do his next interview about you?’
“ROG is sick of it and I am sick of it.”
To which Tubridy replied: “I think it’s cute.”
We take it all back, Johnny. It is tough being you.
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