Parisian palpitations over for Joe Schmidt as Johnny Sexton emerges unscathed

Johnny Sexton, to Joe Schmidt’s undoubted relief, was back on home soil last night, the Ireland fly-half’s body intact and his mind fully focused on next Sunday’s Six Nations showdown with England.

The 29-year-old, on whom Irish hopes will rest to engineer a first win over the English in five meetings, had come through a bruising 66 minutes for his French club Racing Metro in a 13-13 draw against Top 14 leaders Clermont Auvergne. It was just his second game back following a 12-week lay-off mandated by French doctors as a result of four concussions in 2014 and Sexton told the Irish Examiner after his Stade Yves du Manoir workout he was “uninjured and ready to go” for Sunday’s clash.

If he had been contracted to the IRFU, Sexton would have been given the weekend off to nurse his swollen left eye and the cut above it that had required stitches following a clash of heads with France centre Mathieu Bastareaud during Ireland’s win in Dublin nine days ago.