A once in a lifetime chance
Transfer stories at this time of year are usually the preserve of soccer. Even though French rugby has held financial clout over the rest of the northern hemisphere for the past few years, the Irish game has been largely unaffected — publicly at least.
Sexton isn’t the first Irish international to be courted by a French club. During Michael Cheika’s time at Stade Paris at least four Irish players where flown over for negotiations at different times.
Irish tax laws, home comforts and the player welfare scheme run by the IRFU have all influenced our best players to stay put.
While the french transfer market has been enticing the best English, Welsh, Scottish and southern hemisphere players to play there, until now the Irish have stayed with the provinces.
The agents have always been pushing the best possible deals and the players have made their decisions based on their value in the open market. But normally after weeks of offers and counter offers the player re-signs with the IRFU or the province and everything carries on as normal.
That’s why everyone seems to be shocked with yesterday’s news. Officially, we have only been told he is leaving Ireland and Leinster but due to a Top 14 law transfers cannot be commented on by clubs until April 1. You can be sure it is Racing Metro that he will be joining, however.
Racing are bankrolled by real estate multi-millionaire Jacky Lorenzetti who has pumped millions into the club to bring them from Pro D2 to the Heineken Cup.
It’s been far from seamless though. Last season there was a player revolt and Lorenzetti’s good friend and confidant Pierre Berbier was moved upstairs while Sebastian Chabal was sacked.
It showed a ruthless streak to Lorenzetti when things don’t go his way. He wants results and wants them now. In September, although the club can’t confirm it due to the Top 14 law, he signed Castres coaches Laurent Travers and Laurent Labit for next season. They are a highly-regarded duo and have worked together for 13 years. They brought Montauban from Pro D2 to the Heineken Cup on a shoe string and nearly shocked Munster in Thomond. Then they took Castres from the lower half of the Top 14 to consistent play-off contenders and Heineken Cup participants on a medium budget.
Sexton isn’t Racing Metro’s only signing. Northampton’s props Mujati and Tonga’uiha, Welsh centre Jamie Roberts and the Springbok lock Juandre Kruger are already on board for next season to improve a side already containing french internationals Dimitri Swarzeski and Maxine Machenaud and Argentina’s Juan Hernandez and Juan José Imhoff.
The Racing Metro side Sexton will play for will be far superior to the current group and ready to challenge for silverware in both France and Europe.
But you must also consider the base human reasons for moving. If he was given a deal of €750,000 for two seasons, he simply had to go.
This is far and above any offer ever made to another Irish player and shows the standing Sexton holds worldwide. It will make him one of the best-paid players in France with possibly only Johnny Wilkinson earning more.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure his financial future. Every professional rugby player should have one eye on life after rugby especially given the rapid increase of career-ending injuries seen recently.
There are a lot of untrue reports out there as well claiming he will have to play upwards of 45 games a season in France. The Top 14 rules here state that you can’t be selected for eight consecutive weeks without a weekend off. The clubs also rotate a lot because it’s in their interest to keep players fresh for the knockout stages of the season.
Johnny is a fiercely proud Irishman and it will be a huge source of regret not to be able to play for his province for the next two seasons. Knowing him he will have guarantees in his contract that he’ll be available to represent Ireland in all their test matches.
It can be done. Two seasons ago we witnessed an exodus from Wales and it didn’t stop them winning a Six Nations.
The Leinster fans will be gutted to see him leave as he is a brilliant ambassador on and off the field. But it is also an opportunity for Ian Madigan. When Felipe Conteponi went off injured in the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final Sexton came in as a relative unknown and made a name for himself. He led Leinster to three Heineken Cup wins already and will only be 29 when his contract ends.
I wouldn’t write him off adding to it in the future.
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