Ciarán Kennedy Reports from Paris

THIS WORLD CUP has brought the travelling media to some weird and wonderful places and this morning we found ourselves lugging the laptops to a wedding venue to the north of Paris.

In the large, glaringly white room, our happy couple took their seats at the top table. It’s a big week for both Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton, but they’re planning to hold a bigger bash at the end of the month.

There were hints of frustration today when microphone feedback interrupted their session with a large, captive audience, but overall the messaging was clear and to the point. Without a doubt, Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final date with New Zealand is a significant challenge for this team, but they’re framing it as just another big game on their long journey of impressive results. 

And the elephant in our large ballroom was that from here on in, every game could be Sexton’s last, with the Ireland captain due to retire after the tournament.

“Trying to win a World Cup, it’s something to go and get, it’s not something that puts pressure on me, it’s something you dream of, probably not as a kid because when we were kids we didn’t dream of Ireland winning the World Cup,” Sexton said.

Sexton and Farrell speaking to the media today. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“I suppose we’ve put ourselves in a position now to go and do that. But it’s something to go and get, it’s not something to be pressured about. I haven’t thought about my career, to be honest, I’ll think about it more when I finish. It’s all geared up towards a massive game on Saturday, a massive challenge for this team, the biggest we’ve faced, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Amid the many layers of intrigue around the game, Joe Schmidt’s presence in the New Zealand coaching team is perhaps the most fascinating aspect. Schmidt was only in the door with the All Blacks when Ireland stormed to a series success in New Zealand last summer, but Sexton believes his influence has grown on the team since. That said, the 38-year-old was also quick to talk down any suggestion Schmidt’s inside knowledge of the Ireland camp will be a significant factor, answering the question before it was even put to him.

“I think you can see evidence of Joe’s coaching through the team. They’ve made big strides over the last 12 months and I know they’ve a different forwards coach as well from when we were there.

“So they’ve made big strides. I know it’s very much a different team we’re playing against. They’ve said it themselves they’re a very different team. So it’s a big challenge but Joe knows us well, we know him well but Joe doesn’t get to make any tackles or run any lines at the weekend.

So we just have to worry about the players we’re playing against and not too much about him but the legacy he left in Irish rugby is massive. His record here is outstanding and so we’ll look forward to having a beer with him after the game.”

Schmidt was the man in charge when Ireland crashed out at the quarter-final stages in 2019. Four years on, Sexton is confident those in the squad who were involved in previous tournaments won’t be burdened by history this weekend.

“Well, we’ve worked on our mental game for the last four years,” Sexton added.

“We’ve put ourselves in different scenarios over the last four years to prepare for this. But each quarter-final that we haven’t got through, or when we haven’t got through our pool, they’ve all been different and it’s a different group again.

“Each of those groups lost once, it wasn’t the same group losing quarter-finals year after year. If it was club rugby it would probably be a bigger hurdle, but it’s a different group.

“I don’t think we’re carrying much baggage. It’s a one-off game and we’ve got to prepare for it now.”