AFTER MISSING LAST season through injury, former Leinster hooker Tom Sexton has waited a long time for his Super Rugby debut with the Melbourne Rebels and it could be less than one week away.

We spoke to Sexton a few weeks ago and he was confident of being involved in the first game away to the Crusaders on 13 February and his performance against the Reds in a friendly last night definitely didn’t hurt his cause.

Not only did the Rebels beat a strong Queensland outfit but Sexton also rumbled over for a try. It was a memorable first outing in Rebels colours for the Irishman as he tries to stake his claim to head coach Tony McGahan ahead of next weekend.

Sexton is competing with Shota Horie and Patrick Leafa for either a starting spot or a role on the bench and his display in the 28-13 win should put him in a good position to play a part against the star-studded Canterbury franchise.

Sexton would be the first Irish player to feature in Super Rugby since Ruaidhri Murphy togged out for the Brumbies in 2014.

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