SPEAKING SHORTLY AFTER Leinster completed their Captain’s Run at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome yesterday, Johnny Sexton revealed he had politely declined an invitation to meet La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara for a coffee ahead of today’s Heineken Champions Cup final.
It’s been a long, fascinating journey for both since the two players famously clashed on the Croke Park pitch in 2009, and their relationship is now one of absolute respect.
Both men spoke highly of each other during their pre-match press duties yesterday. O’Gara the coach has huge admiration for Sexton the player. The Leinster captain has also been impressed with with how the Munster legend has forged a career in coaching, one that saw them spend two seasons together at Racing 92.
Now O’Gara is looking to lead La Rochelle to their first Champions Cup title. Sexton is out to pocket his fifth.
“It’s the pinnacle for us every year,” Sexton said.
It’s been an incredible competition over the last however many years, 20 years, 30 years. It never lets down in terms of spectacle. So it’s always something we speak about at the start of every year. We give both competitions (the URC and Champions Cup) great respect but ultimately this is the big one.”
Sexton’s story in this competition will soon come to a close, now that the end is in sight. The out-half has outlined his intention to retire following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, meaning next season will be his last in the Champions Cup.
“You think when you get a bit older that you get a bit more relaxed but it’s been the opposite.
“When you know it’s your second last chance to win this, that puts a bit more pressure on but these things, you learn how to deal with them. As a build-up to a big game it is the same excitement and nervousness. It’s tough at times. You torture yourself sometimes in the build-up but hopefully it will all be worth it once the game starts. Once it starts it feels like any other game.”
Sexton’s influence will be key under the scorching French sun. This is a man who has previously almost single-handedly dragged his team over the line in finals. He heads into today’s decider in some of the strongest form of his career. There’s not much he hasn’t achieved in the club game at this stage, but he’s yet to lift this trophy as captain.
“I also answered these questions in Newcastle before Saracens as well,” Sexton continued, reflecting on Leinster’s 2019 final defeat.
“It would be very special. But it’s not something that I thought too much about, you obviously feel it inside but you always take responsibility, but yeah it would be special, to add to your name to the list of some great players who have played the game, and have captained Leinster to the Heineken Cup. It would be very special.”
Sexton knows this pressure well, but it’s a new experience for many of his teammates. Hugo Keenan, Rónan Kelleher and Caelan Doris – to name a few – are no strangers to the big stage but this will be their first taste of a Champions Cup final. As both camps have pointed out this week, pressure can do strange things to a player.
“Yeah they’re young, but they’ve had experiences, haven’t they, in terms of a lot of them have played international rugby,” Sexton added.
“So it’s in comparison to that really, that it’s the same as a Test match. The atmosphere will be the same, it will actually probably be more because of the La Rochelle support, it’s fantastic. You see them turning up every game. Our support, despite how difficult it has been to get here we’ll still have a good showing, I’m sure, like we always do.
So it’s that kind of bigger atmosphere anyway. But they’re used to it. We obviously had a great atmosphere at the last game, we had a great atmosphere over at Welford Road, so they’re picking up experiences all the time and it’s like Leo said, it comes down to the basics on the big day. Nailing your jobs, nailing your chances really. Who takes their chances the best.
“Go back to that Saracens game, we had some chances, didn’t we, the start of the second half, a couple of decisions go against us and suddenly you’re chasing the game. And that was tough to take. So yeah, the basics are the key.”
It’s telling that the defeats come to Sexton’s mind as quickly as the successes. Across a glittering career, he’s learned that this trophy is hard-won.
“It’s incredibly tough. It’s tough every year. At the start when we won it we had a period of success, we won three in four (years), and you kind of think – ‘Wow this is easy’ – and then you go away and you don’t have it for so long and then you have so many tough days. You get so close at times. You talk about semi-finals recently, and finals, and it just proves how hard it is.
“Teams come out of nowhere. You look at La Rochelle and what they’ve done over the last few years, Saracens will be back. So it gets tougher and tougher every year. The likes of Racing are still desperate to win their first and they’ll come stronger.
“It’s an incredible competition.”
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