Warren Gatland: Sexton needs game time

Warren Gatland’s reaction to Jonathan Sexton’s injury troubles raised a few eyebrows back in December but the Lions coach offered a more measured view when asked about the latest fitness issues for the man who was his key playmaker in Australia in 2013.

The Kiwi has a habit of merging one unfinished sentence and stream of thought into another, and it can sometimes make for some confusion, but he was crystal clear eight weeks ago in declaring the importance to Sexton of a good Six Nations run and the pressure he was under to be fit and in form.

There was a warning late last year too: Namely that the quality of the Lions squad was such that players accustomed to being parachuted back into their national sides when available again, like Sexton, would have to prepare for the possibility of non-involvement after recovery from injury with the Lions.