Racing to decide if Sexton is required

Word is expected today on whether Jonathan Sexton will be reeled back to France to play his 14th club game of the season this weekend or if the Irish out-half is finally afforded some desperately-needed downtime before the November internationals.

Racing Metro 92 are in action at Biarritz’s Stade Olympiques Yves-Du-Manoir on Saturday and, withinjury concerns over a number of out-halves and scrum-halves, the fear is Sexton will be whisked away from Ireland camp in Kildare.

The expectation is Sexton will need to be rested for the November 9 meeting with Samoa at the Aviva Stadium if he is indeed required by his club, whereas a badly-needed weekend off would leave him first in line to start Joe Schmidt’s first game in charge. Conor Murray is favoured to be one of the 15 lining out on Saturday week after the Munster scrum-half appeared in front of an independent RaboDirect Pro12 disciplinary committee in Cardiff yesterday.