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Johnny Sexton at the launch of the International Rugby Experience today. Diarmuid Greene
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Johnny Sexton hopes to be fit and 'fully at it' for the start of pre-season training

Ireland out-half says he has ‘turned a corner’ in his recovery from a groin injury.

JOHNNY SEXTON HOPES to be fit for the start of pre-season training on 19 June, he said today. 

The Ireland captain left the pitch during the Grand Slam clincher against England at the Aviva Stadium on 18 March with a groin injury that ruled him out for the remainder of this season.  

“Physically going well now,” Sexton said today in Limerick at the launch of the International Rugby Experience. 

He added: “Five weeks post operation, feeling much better the last few weeks. The first couple of weeks were pretty tough and slow and sore. But I’ve turned a corner now and am back training well with the physios, hopefully back ready to go on 19 June when we come back for pre-season, so I hope to be the same as everyone else, fully at it with them. That’s the goal.” 

Ireland play their first World Cup warm-up game on 5 August at the Aviva Stadium, against Italy. 

Before that, Sexton will miss Leinster’s Champions Cup final against La Rochelle on 20 May. 

The decorated out-half said he was impressed by his side’s 41-22 win against Toulouse in the semi-final on Saturday. He hopes the province’s home advantage in the final will help them reverse last season’s loss to La Rochelle. 

“The guys did really well,” he said. “Toulouse, I thought it was going to be a really, really close game so for the lads to put in the performance that they did, to get the result, was fantastic.

“La Rochelle, they have an incredible record. They’ve only lost one game in the last 20-odd. Obviously they’ve had our number the last few times we’ve played them, so it’s all to do.

“It’s probably the two best teams in the final, the same as last year, hopefully that home advantage . . . . They had home advantage last year. They had a stadium full of 40 odd thousand La Rochelle fans, and it was a cauldron, and something that we probably didn’t expect, so hopefully the Aviva will be something similar for the team when the final comes around.”  

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