LAST YEAR WILL go down as one of Johnny Sexton’s best, as his own individual form helped Leinster scale new heights to a historic double, guide Ireland to a Six Nations Grand Slam and, to round it all off, a Test series win in Australia.
He’d be forgiven, then, if there was a little battle weariness carried over into this new campaign, but not a bit of it. Even after all he has won and achieved, Sexton still demands more of himself.
Sexton makes his seasonal debut against Dragons tonight. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
After sitting out the first two rounds of action, the Ireland out-half will make his seasonal bow against Dragons in the Guinness Pro14 this evening [KO 5.15pm eir Sport/TG4/Premier Sport], and there is no doubt he is fighting fit and eager to lead Leinster’s challenge.
As memorable and satisfying as last year was, it didn’t take long for Sexton to turn the page and reset, because experience tells him that everything achieved last season will count for very little this year if Leinster can’t match those standards again.
His focus, like it always has been, is on striving for absolute perfection and demanding the best out of himself and a dressing room that consistently produced its best last term, conquering the Pro14 and Europe along the way.
“I feel that I can get better from last season,” the 33-year-old said at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
“Mentally better, better levels of performance through the season. That is what I will be striving for. Being physically good is a big thing. I find when I’m not carrying niggles, I can have a clear week in training, I can have a professional build up and do all the training I want.
“Then the performance will hopefully look after itself. But when I’m struggling with niggles, picking up strains and knocks, that’s where my performance level dips.
“So for me, in pre-season was about my body — I worked pretty hard with a couple of different people and hopefully we will see the benefits of it.
“You always learn a lot in the low points and a couple of years ago I just couldn’t perform as well as I wanted to and it really frustrated me.
“I found solutions to it, found people who could help me, and I learned a lot, so now I’m a better professional, got a better routine — that’s what I took out of that situation.”
Sexton drives that quest for betterment inside Leinster HQ, and it is now his official responsibility to do so on the pitch, starting tonight as the province welcome back many of their big guns for the visit of Bernard Jackman’s Dragons.
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Sexton has worked hard in pre-season. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Sexton’s enduring brilliance and talismanic performances means he has become an indispensable force within the Leinster side, and the role of captain has only renewed his hunger, increased his appetite for success and motivated him to do it all again this year.
“There are 10-minute patches where you think, ‘Yeah, that is something special’. If you look back at Leinster over the years we have had some great halves but you never have the perfect game,” he said of striving for the complete performance.
“But it’s important that you always strive for it, isn’t it? Always critical of yourself, and others, trying to get better. So we don’t really look at the season. When you start off the season you don’t feel like that.
“We watched a lot of highlights from last year with Leo and Stuart and there are areas we need to get better at, that we can get better at. That is encouraging.
“But the other side of it is you know the other teams are going to get better, the big teams in Europe. You see already Saracens and Exeter — they are dominating the game they are playing in.
“We are not there doing that yet so we just have to worry about ourselves now, get our levels of performance back to where they need to be and then we can start talking about what we are going to achieve.
“But at the moment we are little bit far off to be talking about improving on last year.”
After the disappointment of defeat to Scarlets last week, Leinster are looking to hit the ground running in their first home game of the campaign later, with the return of Sexton, Rob Kearney, Garry Ringrose, James Ryan and the fit-again Josh van der Flier boosting the province’s international quality in the starting XV.
The defending Pro14 and European champions should have far too much firepower for the Welsh region, and will have little trouble in securing the five match points, but Cullen wants to see a much-improved performance from his side at the RDS.
“We do understand it is not going to be perfect but we are still all striving for that perfect performance,” the head coach added.
Cullen and Sexton speaking to the media yesterday. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“There is a still a hell of a lot of things that we are not doing as well as we would have liked and that’s what we are trying to focus on every week, trying to get a little bit better.
“There was some good bits in our performance at the weekend [against Scarlets] but it is just making sure that we are able to stay mentally connected for the whole game.”
With Sexton back in the saddle, Leinster are expected to pick up a head of speed again in the first of back-to-back home games ahead of the Pro14 inter-pros and start of the Champions Cup pool stages.
As for Sexton and the captaincy, what can we expect from Leinster’s skipper?
“I’d be quite calm, collected [laughter] except for training yesterday,” he said. “I dunno. I think it is important that I try and be myself. I don’t want to change too much. I got here quite late so there was obviously something wrong with my leadership before now. It’s still a work in progress.
“It’s important that I be myself and try and adapt things along the way. It’s an important position and one that I am not taking lightly. I will find out how I go tonight.”
Leinster:
15. Rob Kearney
14. Jordan Larmour
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Dave Kearney
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Ed Byrne
2. Seán Cronin
3. Andrew Porter
4. Scott Fardy
5. James Ryan
6. Max Deegan
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan
Replacements:
16. Bryan Byrne
17. Peter Dooley
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Ross Molony
20. Caelan Doris
21. Hugh O’Sullivan
22. Noel Reid
23. Joe Tomane
Dragons:
15. Jordan Williams
14. Dafydd Howells
13. Adam Warren
12. Jack Dixon
11. Hallam Amos
10. Josh Lewis
9. Rhodri Williams
1. Brok Harris
2. Elliot Dee
3. Lloyd Fairbrother
4. Matthew Screech
5. Cory Hill (captain)
6. Aaron Wainwright
7. Nic Cudd
8. Ross Moriarty
Replacements:
16. Richard Hibbard
17. Ryan Bevington
18. Leon Brown
19. Brandon Nansen
20. Ollie Griffiths
21. Tavis Knoyle
22. Arwel Robson
23. Jarryd Sage
Referee: Quinton Immelman [SARU].
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Sexton: I feel I can get better and that's what I'm striving for
LAST YEAR WILL go down as one of Johnny Sexton’s best, as his own individual form helped Leinster scale new heights to a historic double, guide Ireland to a Six Nations Grand Slam and, to round it all off, a Test series win in Australia.
He’d be forgiven, then, if there was a little battle weariness carried over into this new campaign, but not a bit of it. Even after all he has won and achieved, Sexton still demands more of himself.
After sitting out the first two rounds of action, the Ireland out-half will make his seasonal bow against Dragons in the Guinness Pro14 this evening [KO 5.15pm eir Sport/TG4/Premier Sport], and there is no doubt he is fighting fit and eager to lead Leinster’s challenge.
As memorable and satisfying as last year was, it didn’t take long for Sexton to turn the page and reset, because experience tells him that everything achieved last season will count for very little this year if Leinster can’t match those standards again.
His focus, like it always has been, is on striving for absolute perfection and demanding the best out of himself and a dressing room that consistently produced its best last term, conquering the Pro14 and Europe along the way.
“I feel that I can get better from last season,” the 33-year-old said at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.
“Mentally better, better levels of performance through the season. That is what I will be striving for. Being physically good is a big thing. I find when I’m not carrying niggles, I can have a clear week in training, I can have a professional build up and do all the training I want.
“Then the performance will hopefully look after itself. But when I’m struggling with niggles, picking up strains and knocks, that’s where my performance level dips.
“You always learn a lot in the low points and a couple of years ago I just couldn’t perform as well as I wanted to and it really frustrated me.
“I found solutions to it, found people who could help me, and I learned a lot, so now I’m a better professional, got a better routine — that’s what I took out of that situation.”
Sexton drives that quest for betterment inside Leinster HQ, and it is now his official responsibility to do so on the pitch, starting tonight as the province welcome back many of their big guns for the visit of Bernard Jackman’s Dragons.
Sexton’s enduring brilliance and talismanic performances means he has become an indispensable force within the Leinster side, and the role of captain has only renewed his hunger, increased his appetite for success and motivated him to do it all again this year.
“There are 10-minute patches where you think, ‘Yeah, that is something special’. If you look back at Leinster over the years we have had some great halves but you never have the perfect game,” he said of striving for the complete performance.
“But it’s important that you always strive for it, isn’t it? Always critical of yourself, and others, trying to get better. So we don’t really look at the season. When you start off the season you don’t feel like that.
“We watched a lot of highlights from last year with Leo and Stuart and there are areas we need to get better at, that we can get better at. That is encouraging.
“We are not there doing that yet so we just have to worry about ourselves now, get our levels of performance back to where they need to be and then we can start talking about what we are going to achieve.
“But at the moment we are little bit far off to be talking about improving on last year.”
After the disappointment of defeat to Scarlets last week, Leinster are looking to hit the ground running in their first home game of the campaign later, with the return of Sexton, Rob Kearney, Garry Ringrose, James Ryan and the fit-again Josh van der Flier boosting the province’s international quality in the starting XV.
The defending Pro14 and European champions should have far too much firepower for the Welsh region, and will have little trouble in securing the five match points, but Cullen wants to see a much-improved performance from his side at the RDS.
“We do understand it is not going to be perfect but we are still all striving for that perfect performance,” the head coach added.
“There is a still a hell of a lot of things that we are not doing as well as we would have liked and that’s what we are trying to focus on every week, trying to get a little bit better.
“There was some good bits in our performance at the weekend [against Scarlets] but it is just making sure that we are able to stay mentally connected for the whole game.”
With Sexton back in the saddle, Leinster are expected to pick up a head of speed again in the first of back-to-back home games ahead of the Pro14 inter-pros and start of the Champions Cup pool stages.
As for Sexton and the captaincy, what can we expect from Leinster’s skipper?
“I’d be quite calm, collected [laughter] except for training yesterday,” he said. “I dunno. I think it is important that I try and be myself. I don’t want to change too much. I got here quite late so there was obviously something wrong with my leadership before now. It’s still a work in progress.
“It’s important that I be myself and try and adapt things along the way. It’s an important position and one that I am not taking lightly. I will find out how I go tonight.”
Leinster:
15. Rob Kearney
14. Jordan Larmour
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Dave Kearney
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Ed Byrne
2. Seán Cronin
3. Andrew Porter
4. Scott Fardy
5. James Ryan
6. Max Deegan
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Jack Conan
Replacements:
16. Bryan Byrne
17. Peter Dooley
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Ross Molony
20. Caelan Doris
21. Hugh O’Sullivan
22. Noel Reid
23. Joe Tomane
Dragons:
15. Jordan Williams
14. Dafydd Howells
13. Adam Warren
12. Jack Dixon
11. Hallam Amos
10. Josh Lewis
9. Rhodri Williams
1. Brok Harris
2. Elliot Dee
3. Lloyd Fairbrother
4. Matthew Screech
5. Cory Hill (captain)
6. Aaron Wainwright
7. Nic Cudd
8. Ross Moriarty
Replacements:
16. Richard Hibbard
17. Ryan Bevington
18. Leon Brown
19. Brandon Nansen
20. Ollie Griffiths
21. Tavis Knoyle
22. Arwel Robson
23. Jarryd Sage
Referee: Quinton Immelman [SARU].
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Guinness Pro14 Johnny Sexton leader among men Leinster pro14 Seeking perfection