Time to front up for battle

JONATHAN SEXTON has called on the younger members of the Irish team to take the lead at the World Cup.

The Leinster out-half believes the panellists who weren’t on the ill-fated trip to the 2007 World Cup are unburdened by any painful memories from 2007. Therefore, when they take on Eddie O’Sullivan’s USA tomorrow morning needing an emphatic victory, he wants players like himself to stand up and be counted.

Sexton, who starts at fly-half ahead of Ronan O’Gara, has revealed the more recent additions to the team such as himself, Conor Murray and Keith Earls are keen to set the tone.