Johnny Sexton ‘rediscovers mojo’ for Lions start against Maori

IT was four years ago in Australia that Johnny Sexton guided the British and Irish Lions to their series victory over the Wallabies. Tomorrow the Ireland fly-half will be asked to keep the show on the road ahead of next week’s opening Test against New Zealand.

On a cold but sunny Thursday afternoon in Rotorua, Sexton, 31, had stepped off the training field believing he had to make the most of his start ahead of the benched Owen Farrell in tomorrow’s mouthwatering clash with the Maori All Blacks. The Dubliner had come into this 2017 tour short on game time having played only three times for Leinster since the Six Nations campaign and the rustiness showed with an underwhelming start in the opening game against the Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei on June 3.

Yet Sexton has grown steadily since then, putting in a more encouraging turn off the bench as an early injury replacement for Dan Biggar against the Blues and then prompting Lions head coach Warren Gatland to suggest the fly-half had rediscovered his “mojo” after replacing centre Jon Davies 28 minutes into Saturday’s game against the Crusaders in Christchurch. Sexton’s introduction pushed Farrell from fly-half to inside centre and the pair’s successful first pairing as a midfield axis put some flesh on the bones of those who believed it was a play-making partnership simply waiting to happen.