Joe Schmidt sweats as Johnny Sexton set for Racing game-time

Johnny Sexton will put his black eye and facial stitches in the firing line in Paris tonight as he bids to clock up some more game time ahead of Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with England in eight days. 

Fly-half Sexton is one of a number of Joe Schmidt’s squad members on duty this weekend as the head coach casts an eye over his wider squad with vacancies still available for the next phase of the championship.

Fourth-placed Racing Metro face an important French Top 14 clash with leaders Clermont Auvergne at Stade Yves du Manoir (7.45pm Irish time) with Schmidt powerless to stop the Parisians calling on their man.

The Ireland boss would have preferred to have kept his frontline playmaker out of the firing line this weekend but he also recognises Sexton’s need for more game time following his return from a 12-week lay-off enforced by French doctors following four concussions in 2014.

Sexton got through 70 minutes in the win over France, punctuated by a 10-minute spell in the concussion bin necessitated by a nasty clash of heads with Mathieu Bastareaud early in the second half.

He was allowed to return having passed a mandatory Head Injury Assessment test and added a fifth successful kick from five attempts in a man of the match performance that helped Ireland to an 18-11 win at the Aviva Stadium.

“He has a bad black eye and stitches after his clash with Mathieu Bastareaud, so you’re hoping there’s no more damage done to it,” Racing Metro coach Ronan O’Gara wrote in his Irish Examiner column yesterday.

“He will most definitely benefit from the game-time after being out for so long, although the Top 14 is a very different animal to a Test match.”

So too, is the Guinness Pro12, where Schmidt will be able to assess the performances of a host of players either itching to get involved in the Six Nations title defence or, like Sexton, seeking valuable game time as they continue their comebacks from injury.

Jamie Heaslip’s absence at No. 8 for at least the next two games against England and Wales after suffering fractures to parts of three vertebrae from the knee of France lock Pascal Papé will mean the efforts of back-rowers Tommy O’Donnell and Dominic Ryan will come in for particular scrutiny.

There are a variety of permutations available to Schmidt for the sizeable challenge of negating England’s trio of James Haskell, Chris Robshaw and Billy Vunipola.

He may just make a straight swap with Jordi Murphy resuming the No. 8 role he performed admirably in the opening win over Italy.

Or he could switch Sean O’Brien from openside flanker to the base of the scrum, thereby creating a vacancy at No.7, likewise on the blindside if Peter O’Mahony were to get the nod at No.8.

There is at least a bench spot up for grabs with O’Donnell looking to press his claims at openside for Munster at Scarlets today (2:40pm) have been unlucky in losing his place in the Irish matchday squad last weekend following a try-scoring surprise start in Rome.

O’Donnell is among a quartet of Irish squad members making the trip to West Wales as Munster look to regain top spot in the league with starting fly-half against Italy Ian Keatley, full-back Felix Jones, an unused replacement against France, and Keith Earls all picked in Anthony Foley’s backline.

Ryan, outstanding for the Wolfhounds against the England Saxons in Cork three weeks ago, started on the blindside for Leinster as the Pro12 champions welcomed Zebre to the RDS last night in a squad that featured four of Ireland’s substitutes against the French.

Marty Moore startedat tighthead prop with hooker Sean Cronin, loosehead Cian Healy and scrum-half Isaac Boss all on the Leinster bench.

Ulster’s Ian Henderson, meanwhile, was on duty for Ulster at lock against Edinburgh at Murrayfield last night.

Two days after signing a three-year contract that keeps him with his province until June 2018, Henderson is another option at No.6 were O’Mahony to be switch to cover Heaslip, although his impact as cover for both the second and back row will probably mean he will retain his place on the bench to face the English in Dublin tomorrow week.

“I’ll be happy to put my hand up for any position I get selected for,” Henderson said.