Furore over Sexton injury

The IRFU and Racing Metro were at loggerheads last night over the extent of Jonathan Sexton’s injury and what role, if any, the player will play in the remainder of the Six Nations.

The Irish union has continued to talk up the out-half’s chances of facing Italy in the penultimate 2014 Six Nations clash tomorrow week — even after the French club made claims of a layoff that may stretch to six weeks.

Racing got the ball rolling yesterday when they revealed the thumb injury suffered in Ireland’s defeat to England last week would require anything from 10 days to six weeks to overcome, but the IRFU had been bullish about his well-being before that.