Johnny Sexton: 'I'm very proud. We couldn't have done any more'
FINE MARGINS: Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton dejected. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Johnny Sexton admitted he is 'very proud' of his Ireland teammates for their performance in the narrow quarter-final loss to New Zealand and believes they 'couldn't have done any more' to claim the victory.
Ireland's bid to reach their first ever Rugby World Cup semi-finals was brought to an end in heart-breaking fashion by the All Blacks on Saturday night which left Sexton, in his last ever appearance for his country, to rue to fine margins moments after their 28-24 defeat.
"I'm very proud of the boys, proud of the nation, the country, we couldn't have done any more really," Sexton told Virgin media.
"We got over the line there towards the end, it's just fine margins. We felt like they sucker punched us on a few tries and we had to work really hard for our scores and that's what champions do. They're a great team, we knew it was going to be a massive challenge and we fell just short. Unfortunately!
"Its been amazing. This last - whatever - six weeks, has been a dream. This group, these fans, I'm just gutted we couldn't do it for them.
"You have got to work hard for fairytale endings and we didn't get it. That's just life. We didn't leave a stone unturned, we ticked every box, we trained the house down and I thought after a slow enough start we played pretty well tonight.
"Few decisions, few, you know, bounce of the ball. We were one inch away from getting a try so fair play to the All Blacks, they are a very good team and they are well coached so fair play to them."
Andy Farrell also said he was "unbelievably proud" of his squad despite falling short of what would have been a men's record-equalling 18th test victory in a row.
"That was one hell of a game and somebody had to lose - unfortunately it was us tonight. There were two good teams going at it, fine margins and all that.
"At the start of the game we coughed up penalties and gave them field position and six points. I was so proud of the way we came back and kept attacking them right until the death. We've had a good run but sport can be cruel sometimes - I guess that's why we love it. The way we kept battling tio the end shows the character of this side."
Farrell also paid tribute to 38-year-old captain Johnny Sexton, who is retiring from rugby now their tournament is at an end.
"First and foremost he's an outstanding human being. He's probably the best ever player to play for Ireland and when you're 38 and playing your best rugby, it says a lot about the man."
New Zealand's Aaron Smith believes their' fast start was crucial in their triumph while he also hailed his side's defending against a strong Irish team.
"It was laid out exactly how we knew the game would be," said Smith.
"We wanted to fast start and execute. The first couple of minutes we were a bit dusty, I threw a couple of bad passes. I think our momentum and execution in that first 10 minutes was crucial and we wanted to shock them a little bit.
"We knew they were going to have their moments and it was about having to withstand that and counter.
"A lot of the stuff we've been working on - finding space with our kicking game and finding structure and holding onto the ball. But our kicking game was a bit part of the plan."
"The biggest one we've been talking about the whole World Cup is our defense and when you've got a team like Ireland that are so good on attack you've got to defend your hearts out.
"I think we saw tonight how much we care about each other, how much we love the black jersey and how desperate we were to defend our line."
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