Nerveless Sexton boots a message

WHAT didn’t kill Johnny Sexton’s resolve has clearly strengthened it.

The out-half had a difficult World Cup, but since returning to the blue of Leinster he’s been proving that painful experience has made him a better player.

Leinster badly need someone to step forward and assume a greater burden of leadership now that Brian O’Driscoll has been sidelined for the foreseeable future, and against Montpellier on Saturday, Sexton proved he can be that man.

The manner in which he nervelessly kicked a last minute penalty as thousands of French men, women, and children screamed their lungs out at him was only the garnish on an impressively mature performance that was the difference between Leinster escaping Montpellier with two points rather than none.

For most of the match they’d struggled to make any real headway against the ferociously physical home team, but Sexton was savvy and capable enough to change the Leinster game-plan mid-way through the second-half by using the boot where the hand had failed.

The dynamic of the game changed totally when the Leinster out-half began pinning Montpellier back with his laser-guided kicking, and it was from that platform that the reigning European champions found a way back into the game when it seemed as if they would be going home with their tails between their legs.

“He’s a great game-manager,” agreed Leinster coach Joe Schmidt. “He’s really crucial to what we do and organises the men around him. He made sure he had done all his homework during the week and that allows things to be instinctive for him rather than having to reflect on calls.

“He’s very clear on what we need to do and that’s a real asset for the team. Between him and Leo (Cullen), they give us some fantastic leadership around the park.”

If you’re of a glass half-empty mindset, you’ll have found plenty of fault in Leinster’s performance on Saturday. The manner in which they were regularly bullied at the breakdown, the porous defence in midfield and the poor execution when try-scoring opportunities were created.

Ultimately though they deserve considerable credit for rescuing a draw from what seemed a pretty bleak position.

They’d started the match positively but the dynamic changed utterly after Montpellier skipper Fulgence Ouedraogo scored that breakaway try midway through the first half.

From that point until their late flourish in the final 15 minutes, Leinster were pretty much battered around the place by a voracious Montpellier pack, particularly the gargantuan Mumuka Gorgodze.

“We had seen plenty of clips of him during the week and we knew that if you go high he’s well able to man-handle people,” says Leinster captain Leo Cullen. “We were prepared for him, but it’s one thing looking at footage and it’s another thing stopping him when he’s out there. When he gets up a head of steam and is on the front foot, like all big ball-carriers he’s hard to stop. He definitely got some big yardage against us.”

Champion teams always find a way back into a match even from the most parlous positions, and Leinster proved they’re certainly worthy reigning champions by summoning up a late charge that was sparked by Sean Cronin’s try 15 minutes from time.

Their tails levitated to such a degree that they unwisely turned down a stone-cold three-pointer that would have drawn them level and instead kicked for the corner and unsuccessfully attempted to maul their way over.

It seemed like their rash ambition would be their undoing, but at the death Sexton defied the screaming French hordes to slot a devilishly difficult penalty from wide on the right that earned Leinster a hard-earned share of the spoils.

“I’m hoping with the Munster game and that game under our belts, we’ll now start to get a little more accuracy and tempo into our play,” says Schmidt. “That will be one of the key things that we’ll aim towards against Glasgow next weekend.”

MONTPELLIER: L Amorosino; T Nagusa (M Bustos Moyano 67), G Doumayrou, S Fernandez, Y Audrin; F Trinh-Duc, B Paillaugue (J Tomas 52); N Leleimalefaga (M Nariashvili 77), A Creevy (E Van Vuuren 63), M Bustos (G Jgenti 61); M Demarco, T Privat (D Hancke 58); F Ouedraogo (A Creevy 72), M Gorgodze, M Matadigo (R Martin ht).

LEINSTER: R Kearney; I Nacewa, F McFadden, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss (Reddan 50); H Van Der Merwe, R Strauss (S Cronin 57), M Ross (N White 59); L Cullen, D Browne (D Toner 57); K McLaughlin (S Jennings 47), S O’Brien, J Heaslip.

Referee: D Pearson (England).