JOHNNY SEXTON IS never too far from the spotlight but given the week that’s in it, the Ireland captain has been coming in for special attention.
The squad have already spoken as a group about the fact that Saturday’s Six Nations finale against England will be the out-half’s last outing in the competition.
If the chance to win a Six Nations title wasn’t enough of a motivating factor, there’s also the added incentives of claiming a Grand Slam in Dublin for the first time ever and inching ahead of Ronan O’Gara on the all-time Six Nations points-scorer list – Sexton’s seven points in Murrayfield on Sunday bringing the pair level on 557 points.
It’s all set up to be a fairytale ending that even Netflix couldn’t script. As Sexton sat down with the media in Abbotstown today, he admitted that given all that’s involved, the week has had a slightly different feel to it.
“Yeah, (my last Six Nations game is) in the background definitely. It’s special, of course, but it’s more about the team this week and getting the best performance that we can out there,” Sexton said.
“I’d never be able to live with myself if you don’t turn up and play well so that’s the focus. You take the emotion out of it, it’s going to be emotional anyway. You’re playing England at home with something on the line, so it’s always what you’ve wanted to do and where you wanted to be.
“It’s not the last game with this team, well I certainly hope not. We’ve got a lot more of the journey left so I’m not really thinking like that. I’m just thinking about trying to get out there and put in the best performance I can, then try to get everyone else on the same page.
“Your 100th cap or something like that, you do feel that sense of occasion.
This is the last Six Nations game but there’s so much ahead, please God, if I stay lucky and avoid injuries. There’s hopefully a World Cup, there’s hopefully some knockout games with Leinster ahead in the Aviva so I’m trying to get away from the fact that it’s this big last thing.
“It’s just a cup final and that’s all we’re thinking about.”
“I’m trying to get away from it as much as I can,” he added. “I knew the questions were going to come. I have got a bit more emotional as I have gone on so it will definitely be trying to hold that back but use it as well, because it will hopefully be a special day.”
The 37-year-old, who is set to retire after the Word Cup later this year, repeatedly stressed that what’s on the line for this team far outweighs his own role in the week.
Beat a wounded England side on Saturday, and Andy Farrell’s squad will become the first Ireland team to win a Grand Slam in Dublin.
“That’s the bit that we spoke about from the start,” Sexton continued.
“It’s never been done at home and it’s something that we identified very early and said, ‘imagine this happening, imagine having a shot at it at home in front of your family, friends’ and now it’s a big occasion.
“It’s about dealing with that, embracing it and getting a good performance out there that warrants putting us in a position to win the game.”
A six-day turnaround between Sunday’s win in Scotland has left the squad with a shortened training week. Today was the main training day out at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre in Abbotstown, with the players getting this evening off before coming back into camp tomorrow. It provides the likes of Sexton with some welcome family time before stepping back into the squad bubble.
“Look, it goes over the kids’ heads, most of it,” he explained.
“They do kinda come out with some mad stuff the odd time. Luca (son) is at the age now where he understands what’s going on and he’s looking forward to wanting to come on the pitch at the end of the game. He knows that he only comes on if we win.
“So they’re the things you try to make happen, you try to give your family special moments, the supporters, the Irish people. We talk about them all the time but how we do that is playing well and we need to really focus on that.
“It sounds very simple but it’s very hard to do in a final when you’ve got a lot going on. You’ve got these questions being asked and you’ve got to deal with it, then park it, and really get involved in the process.”
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