Schmidt to evaluate Sexton

Joe Schmidt will have breathed a sigh of relief ahead of his first game as Ireland head coach next weekend after fly-half Johnny Sexton remained an unused substitute for Racing Metro on Saturday night.

Sexton, called into Racing’s match-day squad for the Top 14 trip to Biarritz after an injury to Juan Hernandez, was due back in the Ireland camp at Carton House last night, but his chances of facing Samoa at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday will still depend on his condition after a 2,500km round trip on a weekend he was meant to have been rested after 12 games in 13 weeks with his new French club.

The positive for Schmidt will be the fact his star man was not subjected to a 13th game when the rest of his squad have played, at most, only six times this season, but the former Leinster boss said last week he was already concerned about Sexton looking “flat” when he first arrived in camp last weekend.