THERE’S NO DOUBT that Johnny Sexton wants to go again this weekend against Tonga. He didn’t even want to come off when he was called ashore after 66 minutes on his return in Ireland’s massive win over Romania on Saturday.
That’s how it is with Sexton. Coaches choose to rest him or take him out of the firing line and while the Ireland out-half might come to understand their decisions, he’s never happy about them. He wants to play every minute of every game.
It was clear in Bordeaux how physically sharp and mentally fresh Sexton is after nearly six months on the sidelines. He might now be Ireland’s oldest player of all time, but he appeared to be in excellent condition after the extended break from playing.
Speaking after Ireland’s 82-8 win, Sexton repeatedly hinted that he wants to start again next weekend against Tonga in the second pool game in Nantes, mentioning that he hopes he can improve on his performance.
Ireland boss Andy Farrell is expected to rotate his team a week out from what should be a titanic clash with the Springboks on 23 September, so it will be intriguing to learn what part Sexton has to play.
Recently, we’ve been thinking about Sexton not being included for Ireland’s clash with the Japan game at the 2019 World Cup. He had taken a knock to the quad in the opener against Scotland but was available for that meeting with the Brave Blossoms. Sexton wanted to play, but Joe Schmidt decided to leave him out of the matchday 23 to freshen up. It proved to be a major error, with Schmidt unable to send Sexton off the bench when things started to spiral out of control for Ireland.
This Tonga team haven’t shown as much cohesive quality as Japan did before the last World Cup, but they must be respected given the firepower the likes of Charles Piutau, Vaea Fifita, Malakai Fekitoa, and Pita Ahki can bring.
That’s why we’d definitely have Sexton in the matchday 23 for the clash in Nantes, perhaps giving him 25 or 30 minutes off the bench to add more match sharpness ahead of the Springboks clash, but also keeping him out of the firing line for any longer. It’s essential that Sexton is fit for that meeting with South Africa, which looks like being one of the games of the tournament.
Still, there’s a strong argument to be made for starting Sexton again given how little he has played in recent months and given that Ireland have a rest weekend after their meeting with the Springboks. Sexton will be gunning to go all out.
His influence on this Ireland group remains utterly undiminished. Even accounting for the weak opposition, the Irish attack was slicker and more connected with Sexton running the show last weekend. His ability to pick the right pass and deliver it at exactly the right split second is unparalleled.
The fact is that there are a maximum of six more Ireland games left before Sexton retires. He won’t want to stand aside, even if he will eventually accept what’s best for the squad. The rest of the group understand that Sexton makes them better.
“He’s the captain, he’s the talisman in the squad, and the more minutes he can play the better,” is how Ireland assistant coach Simon Easterby put it yesterday as he intimated that Sexton will be involved against Tonga, while Ireland lock Iain Henderson said the out-half is still “probably the best player in the world.” His replacement, Jack Crowley, mentioned how he is learning from Sexton’s relentless attitude towards training.
So Farrell has plenty to weigh up as he looks towards this clash with the Tongans, who didn’t play on the opening weekend of the World Cup.
Given that Ross Byrne wasn’t involved against Romania, he’s expected to feature against Tonga and could start if Ireland decide to go with Sexton coming off the bench.
The other Irish squad members who were available but didn’t feature in Bordeaux were Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Craig Casey, Stuart McCloskey, and Jimmy O’Brien, all of whom seem likely to be involved in some capacity. It’s hard to imagine Farrell bringing players to the World Cup and not giving them at least one chance to play.
Speaking yesterday, Easterby said Robbie Henshaw – a late withdrawal from the Irish bench for the Romania game – is expected to be available to face Tonga, while he also sounded optimistic on Dave Kilcoyne, Jack Conan, and Dan Sheehan, who have been sidelined through injury.
Farrell will be cognisant of having an experienced core to the team against Tonga, particularly given how Ireland had some shaky moments in their final warm-up game against Samoa in Bayonne.
With all of that taken into account, it might be that Farrell’s selection for this weekend looks something like this:
Jimmy O’Brien; Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Keith Earls; Ross Byrne, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Rónan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Iain Henderson; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Of course, Ireland need to clarify their injury situation but a selection of that type should be good enough to beat Tonga, particularly if supplemented by a strong Irish bench including a few more front-liners.
Farrell might feel that some of those who started against Romania need another starting hit-out in the second match weekend and, again, the break weekend after South Africa should be useful those anyone who plays three in a row.
And yet, it would seem wise to use his wider squad this weekend and have as fresh a side as possible ready for battle with the Springboks.
