Johnny Sexton on England triumph: 'It was the performance we wanted against a top side'

The Ireland captain had been adamant that Ireland were on the cusp of something big and Andy Farrell's men finally produced with an emphatic 32-18 Six Nations defeat of England in Dublin

Ireland's Johnny Sexton takes a kick. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Johnny Sexton knows how it sounded. He sensed the scepticism.

It was his job as Ireland captain to face the media after every game this last few years and, more often than not, he found himself trying to explain the gap between expectation and outcome. It was all getting a bit repetitive.