Schmidt left with plenty to ponder

Joe Schmidt stood by his main man yesterday, backing Johnny Sexton’s decision to take that fateful penalty as an historic first victory over the All Blacks beckoned.

That is nothing you wouldn’t expect from the new Ireland coach, but it is also probable Schmidt will have emerged from his first international window with his worst fears about Sexton’s heavy workload for French club Racing Metro and the effect it will have on the national team’s fortunes fully realised.

Schmidt will have learned plenty from his first three Test matches in charge this month, but regarding Sexton, the cold hard truth is that the upshot of the IRFU’s decision to play hardball in contract negotiations with the star fly-half last spring will mean Schmidt’s creative mainstay could very well miss as many of Ireland’s games as he plays over the course of his two-year deal to play in the Top 14.