Gordon D’Arcy: ‘Johnny Sexton’s rugby IQ is off the charts and sets him aside’

Ireland’s fly-half can make Six Nations history against England but his old Leinster teammate says he is already a great

MASTERMIND: Jonathan Sexton during Ireland rugby squad training at the IRFU High Performance Centre  this week. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

At some stage on Saturday Johnny Sexton will gaze up at the posts at the Aviva Stadium and all will fall quiet. He will take his time but the outcome will be almost preordained. One more successful kick and Ireland’s fly-half will become the leading all-time Six Nations points-scorer. A little shuffle, a thump of his white-booted right foot and another slice of history will be secured.

The key to understanding what makes Sexton tick, though, is what happens next. There will be no grandstanding or outward gush of emotion at passing Ronan O’Gara’s old record of 557 points. Because what really drives him, even at the age of 37, is something subtly different.