IT’S BEEN QUITE some time since we’ve had an audience with Johnny Sexton, with the out-half’s unexpected sabbatical removing him from the public eye since April of last year, just as the rugby season was really heating up.

With a wry smile, Sexton says the extended break from media duties was one of the perks of his summer off.

Other experiences were less enjoyable. Having been stood down from playing following a succession of head injuries, Sexton took in Ireland’s summer Tests as a spectator, sitting in the stands for the June win over Japan. He even further removed from the British and Irish Lions tour, half cheering on his buddies from the comfort of his couch, half cut up about his own omission. 

It’s the obvious place to start. Four months have passed since Warren Gatland left Sexton out of his Lions squad, citing the player’s “durability” as a concern. The comments didn’t sit well with the Ireland captain, who says he was “gutted” to miss out on what would have been his third Lions tour. 

“At the start, of course it was tough to accept,” Sexton admits.

“Any player that didn’t get picked would have been feeling sorry for themselves or a bit angry about it, but it’s how you react to it and I think I’ve been good at reacting to setbacks over my career and they’ve always set me on a path to somewhere else and to get success somewhere else down the line.

“I tried to use the time wisely, tried to learn from it, and ultimately I think you’ve got to look at yourself as well. There’s no point in pointing fingers and blaming people. You’ve got to go ‘Well, if I had done a little bit more maybe he (Gatland) would have had to pick me.’

“So you always look back and go ‘I could have done better there or there,’ and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

MACE Brand Ambassador Johnny Sexton with the Ardee RFC U14 team, who were selected from thousands of entries in an exclusive MACE competition for a 'money-can’t-buy' training session.

Sexton was on the Lions standby list and hadn’t ruled out the possibility of getting a late call up, delaying his holidays and keeping busy on the training pitch. Yet any lingering hopes of making the tour died during a short break in England. Sexton was at Lords, taking in his first cricket match, when the news alert popped up on his screen. Finn Russell was struggling with an Achilles injury, so Marcus Smith was in. Sexton remained out.

“You are still very attached to it,” he explains.

“You are watching Tadhg Furlong, watching Jack (Conan) and Robbie (Henshaw) and Murr (Conor Murray). These guys are playing the Test matches and you wish you were there with them. It’s very hard to detach yourself fully from it and be a fan.  

“I was jealous and wished I was there but that’s life and we move on. It’s a long time ago now. I had a bit of a sabbatical. 

But it was tough. It was tough watching Ireland as well as the Lions, you know? I was captain of Ireland last year, and when you’re watching Ireland play and you’re not there and you’re not leading the team, that was tough as well. I brought my little fella to the Japan game to watch it live, which was good for him and good for me to bring him, but again I was wishing I was out on the pitch and there with your teammates.”

With more free time on his hands this summer, Sexton even contemplated the idea that this could be his last season in the game, a thought he’s trying to push to back of his mind for now.

Yet even during his time off, Sexton found his name making headlines. In July, Ulster scrum-half John Cooney explained how he sometimes found it difficult to handle the way Sexton spoke to him during his time with Leinster.

Does the Johnny Sexton of 2021, captain of Ireland and Leinster, understand where his former teammate is coming from?

“Yeah, maybe. You encounter different personalities all the time, and some who are very very different to you, and you need to try and adapt yourself and sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment in battle.

“But how you speak to someone off the pitch and in and around the environment in training – of course I don’t think I would have done anything (inappropriate) there.

“I don’t want to comment too much, I’ve never talked about other players in the media. If I had something to say to someone I’d just say it to their face. But look, sometimes you are not for everybody, that’s life.”

It’s a delicate balance to strike. Sexton’s competitive nature has helped him become the player he is, but as he says himself, as captain part of his job is to understand and work with different personalities. Over the years, he’s become increasingly conscious of ensuring his leadership style ticks the right boxes.

“You’ve got to be true to yourself, but you need to realise that there’s some other players that aren’t the same as you,” he continues.

And to be a good leader, you need to try and adapt yourself. I’ve tried to do that over the last number of years. Sometimes you fall into bad habits. Sometimes you let yourself down. I think the most important thing is you realise and you make the effort to do it.

“But, again, you’re talking about professional rugby. In the heat of the moment, you’re all striving for the same thing and sometimes tempers boil over. It’s not always me, but I’ve seen it in other players. It shows that you care, you all want to win, and you’re all doing what it takes.

“Come down to Leinster and if you go to watch training, every day, you’ll see lots of incidences like that. Like I said, our environment isn’t for everyone, but once you’re trying to make it better, that’s the most important thing.”

So, that’s the past covered, what about the future? The 36-year-old, who signed a one-year contract extension with the IRFU last March, says he feels refreshed following his extended break, and is good to go for the new season.

The usual ambitions of winning trophies are still there, but for now the aim is simply to get back on the pitch and get back playing some rugby. Do that, and the rest will hopefully fall into place.

“Over the last number of years, it’s about trying to put consecutive games together and staying fit,” he says.

“I find that when I do that, naturally your form is better from it. You’re playing more, training more, you’re more match-fit and comfortable. It’s always the same for me. It’s about making sure you can string games together. When I’ve done that, my performances have been good and the team’s results have been good.

“It was good to take a break in all areas, and with Covid there was very few things that you could do anyway in terms of doing things with sponsors or there was no need to speak to media, I wasn’t involved in any of the games. 

“I did enjoy it. It would have been easier if there was no other rugby on. Like I said, watching Ireland and the Lions was tough going when you wish you were there and you feel you could be there, but look, that’s life.

“It’s given me some good motivation for this year.”

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