IRELAND OUT-HALF Johnny Sexton says Laurent Bénézech’s comments about his return from concussion during the Six Nations came from an “uneducated” point of view.
The former France prop criticised Joe Schmidt for selecting Sexton at out-half for Ireland’s meeting with les Bleus in February after the Racing Métro playmaker had spent 12 weeks out of the game due to concussion problems.
Bénézech, now a journalist and author, said Ireland and Schmidt were making “a big mistake” by starting Sexton in that game. The IRFU subsequently issued a strong statement underlining Sexton’s fitness and expressing their disappointment at “inaccurate commentary in the media by individuals with no medical expertise.”
Sexton was a guest on RTÉ’s Second Captains Live last night and gave his own takes on those events.
“If it was a doctor that said it I maybe could have understood it, but this guy is a prop that played in France,” said Sexton. “You know, props shouldn’t talk about anything except scrums!
So for someone like that to come out and say I shouldn’t be playing is an uneducated thing to say. It really got to us. I think he was having a go at Joe Schmidt for picking me, which was totally wrong because the coach gets told who’s fit and who’s not.
“I was declared fit by one of the top neurologists in Europe and the world and if he says you’re good to go, you’re good to go.”
Sexton did, however, admit that he had some genuine concerns for his own health at the outset of his 12-week rest period, which came after he had suffered four concussions in the space of a year.
“I think it’s a very uncertain time when you’re injured and you don’t know, with a brain injury as such, how your head’s going to react,” said Sexton. “I was worried at one stage after four weeks when I was still getting mild symptoms training and I was fearing the worst.
“I met the neurologist and that’s when we decided to stand down for 12 weeks. You always fear the worst when you’ve got a knee injury, you’re worried it’s not going to get better. It’s the same with your head, but thankfully as time went on I was 100% again.”
Sexton opted to put golfer Pádraig Harrington onto the Second Captain’s ‘Good Wall,’ with the out-half revealing that Harrington has had an impact on his own career.
“I met Pádraig a few years ago,” said Sexton. “We had a camp in Meath actually, it was the year Ireland won the Grand Slam [2009]. He came in to talk to us and I was literally tripping over every word he said.
“Some of the stuff just stuck with me and he’s probably the reason for being so honest about what goes through your head. Because when he was coming down the 18th that time he won his first Major, some of the stuff he was thinking about was letting down the people in the pub, you know, criticising him and he felt like he was letting them down.
That’s how it feels sometimes when you have a bad game or you miss an important kick. I was toying between him and Roy Keane today. I’m a massive Man United supporters and I can’t believe they’re not both on the wall.”
The Ireland international opted to pop Harrington in at number four in the top ten, with Carl Frampton losing his place on the ‘Good Wall’.
Sexton also spoke about Ireland’s prospects for the World Cup, life in Paris with Racing and his return to Leinster next season.
Watch the full Second Captains interview with Sexton on the RTÉ Player.
He’s going to be a huge loss for Leinster and Ireland. Hope there won’t be long term problems.
Good luck to him !!
Bummer
Dreadful news. FFS.
I assumed the Tullow Tank had bones of adamantium & mithril!
He doesnt have bones, its an exoskeleton!
Ireland’s best player, a huge loss but we have the most strength in depth in the back row provincially and nationally
Huge loss, get well soon Sean, go easy on the farming while recovering!
Talk of a six nations return unnecessary. Let the man recover properly for his and Ireland/Leinster’s sake.
Meanwhile an opportunity has now arrived for the likes of Murphy, Dougal etc. Let the competition begin.
Speedy recovery Sean.
Maybe chance for Leinster to try Jordi Murphy as a 7!!! …and a future 7 for Ireland
Terrible news, very sorry for him but someone else will now get their chance so silver linings and all that
Really hope he’s back before the 6 nations is over. He didn’t get the name Tullow Tank for nothing. Hope for a speedy recovery
Would love to see Tommy O’Donnell get a chance during the 6N! He can break through tacklers, he’s very fast and he is good at scoring tries. He’s a Tipp tank!
:( hope it goes well and he’s a quick enough recovery.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Brutal. There goes our best ball carrier for the Six Nations.
Terrible news. Hope he makes a swift but more importantly full recovery.
Just get well Sean. Let’s win the first 5 six nations games and have him back for the Slam.
4
Munster can provide cover in the form of Dougall and Todd. 2 players defo due a call. Ulster I guess Henry and maybe Henderson but he’ll be missed whomever we go with.
Time to start debating a replacement…If Ferris could make a medical miracle happen and return, that would be just lovely. Suggestions..?
He’s irreplaceable, he’s the best 7 in the northern hemisphere and one of the best in the world. He has been our most important player for a couple of seasons.
I think it’s likely that Henry will play at 7. We have a lot of cover at 6 and 8 but not a lot of international quality 7s.
I wish him a speedy recovery.
Dissappointing about O
Brien but hopefully Dominic Ryan gets a decent go now,one of the most under
-utilised players in Irish rugby should be in the Leinster team more often and even in with a shout for the Irish back row, he is quality and the sooner mat o Connor and joe Schmidt realise that the better!.