Ronan O'Gara: Saluting Johnny Sexton - with half an eye on the next in line

Johnny Sexton: The latest Ireland player to reach 100 caps. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

There was a full seven years between my 100th cap for Ireland and the November morning in 2017 when I sat down in Christchurch with Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock for a first chat as a new Crusader coach.

As keen as I might have been to tap into their rugby and culture, Read was quicker off the mark, quizzing who was the Irish coach on the occasion of my 100th Irish cap off the bench against South Africa in 2010. Momentarily, I wasn’t sure where he and Whitelock were going but it was soon evident the store they placed in someone reaching 100 test appearances for their country. This was a huge honour, they said. How dare Ireland start you on the bench for that game.