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6 things we learned from Jonny Sexton's book excerpt today

The Ireland out-half has an autobiography on the way, and some juicy extracts were revealed today.

IF YOU HAVEN’T got your hands on the Sunday Times yet, it’s worth heading down the shops again for the extracts from Jonathan Sexton’s forthcoming autobiography alone.

The Racing Metro out-half’s book is typically forthright, here are his view on some of the big controversies of his relatively short career.

ROG gave him a heads up before opening talks with Racing Metro

‘He didn’t say it immediately’, Sexton says in the Sunday Times extract.

image©INPHO

O’Gara proceeded with some chit-chat about Munster’s loss to Clermont and Sexton’s upcoming Lions tour, but then dropped in (most likely in that deadpan O’Gara style) that he’d be speaking to Racing about a coaching role.

‘I laughed, but straight away I knew he wasn’t joking. He wasn’t asking permission either.’

He’s ‘p**sed off’ with the IRFU

image©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Sexton believes a rumoured move to Stade Francais in 2010 made the union reluctant in their contract dealings with him.

He calls his €150,000 salary in 2011, ‘pretty ordinary for someone travelling to the World Cup as first choice out-half’

‘I think I know what the Union think: Jonny will eventually settle for what we’re offering him.’

This year, their offer to him was 100,000 less than the IRFU’s top earner on €450,000.

Joe Schmidt was about to plead his case to the Union

‘Don’t sign anything’, Schmidt told him, but it was apparently too late. The union announced Sexton’s  departure the following day.

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©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

He started the row with ROG

Okay, so he doesn’t admit that he started it, but he charts the ill will back to an inter-pro in April 2009.

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©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

‘Soon enough, I was involved in an incident with Lifeimi Mafi.’ O’Gara joined in and as Sexton remembers, said: ‘what the fuck are you doing, you eejit?’

‘I responded by feigning to throw a punch – when he flinched, I called him a coward’

ROG responded: ‘You’re nothing. You’re a nobody!’

Well, that escalated quickly.

The next month, this happened:

image‘I’m not even sure I said anything comprehensible’, Sexton says by way of recollection. ©INPHO/James Crombie

He ‘went mad’ after sealing victory for the Lions

Initially he thought his pivotal try would be disallowed, but afterwards ‘I got particularly giddy when I saw Daniel Craig  on the pitch. ‘IT’S BLOODY JAMES BOND’, I shouted.’

image©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Then he tried to sing Don’t Look Back in Anger on the bus, but was bullied into Bread of Heaven instead.

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