Tributes paid to Johnny Sexton following his final Ireland appearance

“He has been everything that has been good about Irish rugby for nearly two decades," says Jack Conan.

LEGEND: Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton with his son Luca after the game. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Jack Conan

“We’re genuinely just gutted that we couldn’t do it for … Johnny, someone who deserves so much for the sacrifices he has made, for the player he is and for the man he is. For the leader that he is.

“He has been everything that has been good about Irish rugby for nearly two decades and to not give him the send-off that he deserves if probably the hardest thing to take. He is how we measure ourselves, he is the standards setter, he is the leader, he is an unbelievably good bloke on and off the pitch.

“It might be lost on people at times but he cares more than any player I have ever met in any sport I have seen. He cares so much and he sacrifices so much and it doesn’t feel right that we couldn’t do it for him.

“In my eyes, he is the greatest Irish player of all time for what he has done and it’s been an incredible joy of mine to play with him for so many years and to have been in so many dressing-rooms with him. It’s just not right that we couldn’t do better for him.”

Dan Sheehan

“He’s just so consistent in his messaging and the standards he sets. In training, you might be playing fecking Dragons and on a Monday [in training], or Zebre, and he’ll be screaming at people to make sure standards are set.

“He’s a hard person to replace, the way he has guided Irish rugby for the last 15 years, even more. He’s not a man of huge moments, but like he’s just consistently a competitor and someone that doesn’t come around very often. He’ll be a huge loss.

Andy Farrell

“A lot of our group are still learning, and I just said to the group in the changing room the reason they're going to keep on learning is because of [Sexton].

“The impact that he's had on the rest of the team over the last four years has been amazing, and the way that he's conducted himself as a leader and as a player and the way that he's shown the love playing for Ireland will be remembered and connected to this group for many years to come.

“Through his example, the younger guys will keep on getting better and striving to be better, there's no doubt about that.”

Sam Cane

“He has been massively successful for Ireland. It is hard to say a lot about other players because there have been many players we have had to say goodbye to.

“We know how much it hurts but when we reflect on his career we see how great he has been for Ireland. He is great at decision-making and he plays an outstanding game and the fact that he has been playing [this long] at this level proves it. Congratulations on his outstanding career."

Ian Foster

"He’s been massively successful for them. If we hadn’t won, we would have a number of iconic players we would be saying goodbye to too. They will have other players too finishing who would have targeted this tournament. Johnny has had a great career, he has done it all."