Sexton: Joe’s left unbelievable mark on Irish rugby

Johnny Sexton has praised Joe Schmidt for the “unbelievable mark” he has made on Irish rugby and is certain he will continue to do so if he decides to stay as head coach beyond next year’s World Cup.

Yet the fly-half, named last night as Guinness Rugby Writers’ Ireland Player of the Year for 2017-18, confessed Irish squad members “don’t have a clue” whether Schmidt will stay or go.

The head coach was present at Aviva Stadium last night as Ireland picked up the Team of the Year Award following a campaign that saw his squad win 10 of its 11 Test matches.

Schmidt has one more week with his players in the build-up to Saturday’s final Guinness Series game of 2018, a sell-out against the USA Eagles before he is set to sit down and consider his future beyond Japan 2019.

He has been linked strongly with a return to a coaching job in New Zealand and his stock will have soared further following the win over the world champions which also saw the All Blacks kept tryless and in single figures for the first time since 1998.

Asked if the Irish players had done enough in that momentous victory and an unprecedented run of success to persuade Schmidt to sign a new contract, Sexton said: “It’s not up to us to persuade him!

“We just go with the plan that he gives us and we leave him to do that. Whatever he decides to do, if he decides to go, he’s left an unbelievable mark on Irish rugby.

"If he decides to stay, he’ll continue to do so. He’s got a lot of good young players coming through that he’ll be able to build a new team with and so, look, we’ll see.

“He hasn’t given us any indication. He’s a pretty focused guy on what’s important and what’s important was obviously New Zealand.

"This week he’ll be focusing on America and then he’ll announce it and it will be a big story whatever happens.

“But we don’t have a clue what’s going to happen.”

If Schmidt does decide to leave, defence coach Andy Farrell has been tipped as a possible successor with IRFU chief executive Philip Browne saying both he and Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster would be “more than capable” of filling the breach.

Looking back on last Saturday’s win, Sexton said of Ireland’s defensive effort: “I was delighted for Faz because the work that he does all year.

“He obviously prides himself on his work and so even through those good times in the Six Nations there was probably bits, things we weren’t rewarding him for.

"So it was great to hold the best team in the world to zero tries and I was pleased for him because the system we have in place was amazing.”