Johnny Sexton on life after sports: 'Rugby is not the most important thing anymore'
Johnny Sexton: Having kids has mellowed the Irish rugby international
You can learn a lot from your kids. That’s what Johnny Sexton’s kicking coach told him.
“He said watch your kids practising – the way they do it is the way you should. Kids don’t care about results – if they miss they go to the next straightaway. They’re not too worried about outcome,” says Sexton.
At home, he’s delighted his three children – Luca, eight, Amy, six, and Sophie, three – naturally want to be out in the garden. Partly they’ve got no option, he says, because his wife, Laura, a teacher, is “very good” at making sure they don’t have too much screen time.
But keeping kids physically active is about parents participating with them and making it fun (“that’s big,” says Sexton). “Another benefit of me being a rugby player is they see me going off to train every day. And Laura is very active too, going to the gym, going for runs, so we’re leading by example.”
The children are already showing their own individual tastes in sports, with Luca starting rugby and Amy developing a passion for basketball. “Luca’s in a school where he plays football with the other kids every day at lunchtime. Then he wants to do it in the garden with me. “And Amy has taken a love to basketball. We’ve put up a net for her in the garden and she’s non-stop playing.”
Of course, Sexton – who won his 100th cap against Japan last November and who captained Ireland through the 2022 Six Nations – isn’t short of opportunities to exercise. But it was a different story at the start of the pandemic. “The first few weeks we weren’t doing too much training – we weren’t let. And the form was bad – I wasn’t in a good mental place.”
So he “made a big change”, getting exercise back into his routine. “It was the routine I missed most. I made time for myself, did a good few runs within the 5K and also circuits in the garden. And I purchased an assault bike.”
The physical and mental benefits quickly followed. “They go hand in hand. When I get physical exercise, I’m mentally better, sharper, more productive.”
Over the last few years, he has also learned some good mental practices. “Mindfulness – I do it regularly. I’m a big advocate. I do a bit of yoga, which I picked up over the last 18 months. There’s a bit of meditation that goes with that.”
It all helps when you’ve got a hectic life – on the pitch and at home.
Always a leader on the field, what’s the division of labour like at home? “I’m gone early in the morning. Rugby isn’t the same as working nine-to-five, but you can be away a lot in different countries. I do my bit when I’m at home, but Laura takes the burden of the responsibility with the kids. She’s brilliant.
“It helps me do my job – I can very much focus on that because I know everything’s good at home and everybody’s happy at home.”
I ask about Father’s Day, which is coming up next month. Is it a big event in his house? The kids love to do cards, he tells me. “And they get me something small. That’s it. I send my own dad a text.”
How has having kids changed him? “I’m not sure,” he muses. “It has mellowed me a little with the rugby – it’s not the most important thing anymore. But it still hasn’t taken away my drive in rugby. I think that having kids has given me a good perspective.”
And then there are those tough questions kids ask – the ones that leave you scrambling for an answer. “When they ask about life and death, that’s the hardest for me,” he says. “You need to be very careful how you answer. You need to be honest but you don’t want to create anxiety either.”
Does he have a favourite time – of the day, the week – when he likes to prioritise time with the kids? “In the evening when I come home from training. During the summer holidays, you have unbroken time. Pre-season you have Friday, Saturday, Sunday – totally free.”
It’s a different matter once the rugby season kicks off. “The Friday just before the match I’m restless. On the Saturday I’m playing. And on the Sunday I’m sore and can’t do much.”
For holidays, the family like to go to Portugal or Spain, but when he’s home he loves to be at home.
The rugby legend recently spent a morning at Skerries Educate Together National School, Co Dublin. As a Laya Super Troopers ambassador, he was meeting students who’d participated in the health homework programme.
Fielding questions from the pupils, he’s delighted they weren’t focusing on his career highlights, but rather on how he coped with the tough bits. “They were all very keen to learn from the mistakes, asking how I reacted to setbacks – missing a kick, losing a game. That’s what interested me most – they weren’t asking about the best games but about the setbacks.
“And I said it’s all part of sport and life – you have to view it as a learning experience and come back better and stronger.”
Earlier this year Sexton confirmed he will retire after the 2023 World Cup. Where does he see himself in five years? “It’s a very good question. I can’t tell the future. I’d love to know myself. As a rugby player, you struggle to think about the world without it.
“But I’m doing some things at the moment that’ll hopefully help me with life after rugby. I’ve had an opportunity to take a couple of steps over the next 18 months that’ll ensure I won’t be starting from step one when I retire.”
One in four children in Ireland live with overweight or obesity (Department of Health). Children living with obesity have a higher risk of adult diseases – stroke, cardiovascular disease and about 11 different cancers.
On the plus side, 1m schoolchildren in Ireland have participated in Laya Super Troopers since 2014. A free health homework programme, it encourages children/their families to enjoy a healthier, balanced lifestyle by placing a holistic focus on nutrition, physical activity and mental wellbeing.
Aimed at kids aged nine to 12, the programme is designed by teachers, psychologists, health/wellbeing experts and nutritionists. Independent research from Trinity College found:
- 93% of parents saw their children more active after taking part
- 75% experienced their child opening up more about their feelings
- one in four children ate more healthily after taking part in the programme
- one in four parents saw improvement in their child’s stress management.
- Super Troopers takes a “soft and informative” approach to health education based on ‘nudge theory’. There’s no pursuit of anything that suggests competition, winners/losers and no focus on physical prowess or specific measurements like weight.
- Laya Super Troopers has launched a 28-episode TV series - visit www.layasupertroopers.ie
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