Johnny be good... there’s a Six Nations around the corner
Sexton’s return from a broken hand coincides with a sharp upturn in form from his rival for the pivotal out-half berth, Ronan O’Gara. Sexton was given the start by coach Declan Kidney for the victory over world champions South Africa in November, but hasn’t played competitively since.
The Leinster man earns his 50th cap for the province in Saturday’s clash against Brive – and, for the moment, that’s as far as he’s prepared to look.
“I can’t go out and try to force anything,” he stressed yesterday. “Of course I have been watching the other games and I’m aware of how well Ronan is playing, so the danger for me would be to go out and try to do everything myself to put a marker down. I will go out and try to play well, do the basics well and help Leinster get the right result”.
Sexton knows goal-kicking will be critical in Kidney’s decision on a starting 10 for the first Six Nations clash against Italy and said yesterday his enforced lay-off has allowed him to focus on specific areas of his game.
“I have had a good few sessions working on it (kicking), but I haven’t been able to put in as much work these last couple of weeks because the fitness coaches have got hold of me and I felt as if I have been back in pre-season. The last few weeks have been tough so I’m really looking forward to getting back into a game,” he said.
On the injury which sidelined him at a time when he was bang in form, Sexton said: “It happened in an unusual way and in a play right near the end (of the SA game). “I knew there was something wrong but it was a bit of s shock to find it was broken. There was only one play left, so it was only a question of getting through that.
“However, the postponement gave me the opportunity to spend another week working with the ball. I felt a little rusty last week but now I feel a lot more confident going into this game and the extra week has done me good.
“With the game called off, it has given me an opportunity to participate in four additional full-contact sessions. Obviously the more of them, the more comfortable I feel. I actually thought I would be ready to play after four weeks but the doctor advised me to give it the extra time just to be sure it healed properly.”
Sexton might just wear a protective covering on the hand when he takes the field against Brive, but there should be no cause for alarm. “I would be happy to play without it but the covering will just give me that extra bit of protection should I take a hard blow in the area,” he said.
LEINSTER (from): Forwards: M. Ross, CJ van der Linde, S. Wright, R. McCormack, C. Healy, J. Fogarty, B. Jackman, L. Cullen (captain), N. Hines, M. O’Kelly, S. Jennings, K. McLaughlin, S. O’Brien, J. Heaslip.
Backs: G. Dempsey, R. Kearney, S. Horgan, S. Keogh, I. Nacewa, B. O’Driscoll, G. D’Arcy, S. Berne, J. Sexton, E. Reddan, P. O’Donoghue.
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