Sexton on song with 15 points haul for Racing

Johnny Sexton came through Racing Metro’s Top 14 clash unscathed on Saturday and showed the kind of form that will give his international team-mates a massive boost.

The Irish out-half put in an inspirational 74-minute shift for Racing as they rediscovered the winning touch at home and climbed into the Top 14’s Heineken Cup slots by putting Munster’s quarter-final rivals Toulouse to the sword 25-5. Sexton scored a try and set up another on his way to a 15-point haul to move within two points of fourth-placed Toulouse and a spot in the playoffs.

He was accompanied in the scoring stakes by Welsh scrum-half Mike Phillips and France wing Marc Andreu as they secured a fine victory and a bonus point.

The only worry for the former Leinster man was when he was on the receiving end of flanker Joe Tekori’s late tackle which resulted in a yellow card for the Samoan.

Toulouse, meanwhile, face a tough time as they are bereft of their internationals for the Six Nations and several key players have long-term injuries.