Peter Jackson: Six weeks turned Johnny Sexton from Lion to layman

Studying his selection from every conceivable angle, it is virtually impossible to avoid drawing the same conclusion, that England’s captain is lucky not to be heading the casualty list

Leinster’s Johnny Sexton

Johnny Sexton signed off from the Six Nations in Dublin some six weeks ago in a grand manner, reducing what was left of England’s title defence to a pile of rubble.

As final auditions go, it could hardly have been more convincing. His all-around performance, not least the precision of his kicking out of hand as the merciless bombardier, reinforced the Dubliner’s claim to be the Lions’ Test ten.