JOHNNY SEXTON WAS at the heart of the great Irish attack that helped Andy Farrell’s team to a series success in New Zealand, a Grand Slam, and justified hopes of winning a World Cup.
They failed in that final mission, but they played some cracking rugby going after it.
As their out-half, Sexton was central to everything Ireland in that 2021/22/23 period when many other teams around the world tried to mimic what Farrell’s team were doing, particularly with their free-flowing, multi-option phase play attack.
Sexton was one of the men who made it tick, so it was no surprise when Farrell convinced him to return to the set-up as a coach. That was part-time last season but after doing the Lions tour with Farrell, Sexton is now a full-time employee of the IRFU.
His main remit is to focus on all aspects of Ireland’s kicking game but he helps defence coach Simon Easterby with defensive set-ups at scrums, while Sexton also continues to work closely with Farrell and backs coach Andrew Goodman on the Irish attack.
Ireland’s attack has been inconsistent since the heights of 2023. They have produced some brilliant attacking performances in the last couple of years, but there have been relatively barren days too. Last weekend against New Zealand, they only managed one try and while there were many issues involved, it wasn’t an attacking display Ireland were happy with.
All the more so because they had felt something big was coming in attack.
“Well, that’s the most disappointing thing, because what we saw in training for the last two weeks wasn’t what was reflected on Saturday,” said Sexton yesterday.
“If you looked at those first two weeks, you’d say we’re not far away at all [from 2023].
“If you looked at Saturday, you’d say we’re miles away but we’re hoping that we’ll show something a bit different now this weekend against Japan and in the last two games as well.
Sexton at Ireland training yesterday. Henry Simpson / INPHO
Henry Simpson / INPHO / INPHO
“So we’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes and making sure that that part of the game is as good as it’s ever been.”
Sexton said Ireland have belief that things will click for them in attack with three games against Japan, Australia, and South Africa to come in Dublin over the next three weekends.
It was interesting to see Ireland sprinkling in more attacking kicks in Chicago last weekend, with Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park both unsuccessfully attempting cross-field kicks.
Crowley also kicked two short grubbers and a short chip behind the defence in the New Zealand 22, even without any penalty advantage playing. That certainly isn’t characteristic of Ireland in recent seasons.
Sexton said it was a combination of their game plan and Crowley playing off the cuff.
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“I think Jack did that superbly for Munster against Leinster the week before, maybe that was at the forefront of his mind,” said Sexton.
“It wasn’t something that we overemphasised during the week. And we always judge the decisions not on the outcome, but on the decision-making. So was the space there? Yes. OK, was the accuracy there? Yeah.
“A little bit unlucky on one, a little bit unlucky on another, and maybe on another one we could have played the edge [by passing] instead. So we always look at it like that.
“We don’t just say, ‘Oh, kicked the ball away, bad decision.’ You have to look deeper than that as coaches and we definitely have done that.
“So it’s something that we talk about a lot because teams, when they want to go 14 guys in the frontline and only one in the backfield, you have to try and expose that. So there’ll be times where we do go to it.
“Did we do a little bit too much on Saturday? Maybe, but if we get a couple of better outcomes, you’d be saying it was a fantastic thing. So it’s a balance, isn’t it?”
Sexton working with Ireland's backs. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
It’s not just the Irish attack that worried some of their supporters last weekend. There were lineout woes, scrum problems, and defensive slips at different stages of the game, leading to more discussion about Ireland being a team on the decline.
Again, the reference point for the falloff is a Grand Slam in 2023.
Sexton said that the changing personnel in Ireland’s squad meant there were always going to be challenges at this stage of their journey.
“There’s always going to be a bit of transition when you lose the number of caps and experience that you have in probably the key positions,” he said.
“If you go, you know, Peter O’Mahony recently, Cian Healy recently, Keith Earls, myself, Conor Murray. That’s probably, I don’t know exactly, but close to 600 caps I presume.
“So you take that out of the building, of course there’s going to be a little bit of teething, but there wasn’t a problem when they won the Six Nations in 2024.
“In last year’s Six Nations, we slipped up towards the end, particularly against a very good French team, but the results in the other games were quite good, but the performance against Italy wasn’t great.
“If you take the whole since 2023, there’s been some amazing victories. We talk about France away, a record victory [in 2024].
“So, it’s just getting that consistency now that’s the key. Could the performance be better? Of course.
“Even at the heights of the team that you’re referring to there, we always felt like we had things to work on as well. So, a couple of good wins and a couple of good performances will change the narrative pretty quick, I’m sure.”
Sexton’s role continues to involve working closely with Ireland’s out-halves, Crowley, Sam Prendergast, and Ciarán Frawley.
Prendergast was the main man last season at number 10, but Crowley was back at out-half last weekend in Chicago.
“I think that both of them have done really well in difficult circumstances,” said Sexton. “In terms of the media narrative, the hype, the pressure that’s put on them from, not just you guys [the media], but from the country in general.
“And they’ve coped really well, they’ve performed very well, and what’s important now is that we’ve got two guys, and more than that, going to the World Cup, ready to play for Ireland at a very high level.
Sexton with out-half Jack Crowley. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“When you take their age and their experience, and you compare it to other out-halves that have gone before them, they’re way ahead. I mean, they’re way ahead of me.
“For example, I was playing AIL at Sam’s age, struggling to get on the bench for Leinster.
“You just have to be careful of, I suppose, the age and the amount of rugby that they’ve played and the level that they’re playing at.
“They’re going to be world-class, both of them; they’ve shown at times that they can be already. So we’re very lucky that both of them.”
Sexton added that Ciarán Frawley is “training really well in the background,” while Harry Byrne will play for the Ireland XV team against Spain on Saturday.
As those men are trying to improve their craft as out-halves, Sexton continues to learn quickly as a coach. This is his first season as a full-time coach, so it’s still new.
He has been visiting professional teams in other sports with a view to gaining fresh perspectives. Sexton has been in with football clubs like Brentford and Shamrock Rovers, while he visited rugby league’s Canberra Raiders while on tour with the Lions, as well as going into the Adelaide Crows, an Aussie rules club.
But upskilling in rugby union is the key and Sexton enjoyed his experience with the Lions last summer, a role that prepared him for his new position working with Ireland and in the IRFU’s men’s and women’s pathways.
Going full-time on the Lions tour helped him to realise just how different it is from part-time coaching.
“You’re in every single meeting and I was responsible on the Lions tour for just looking after the kickers,” said Sexton.
“When you’re looking after kickers on Lions tours, you’re not changing too much. They’ve got their own way of kicking and you’re just trying to help them, making sure they’ve cars to get to kicking, making sure the balls are there, making sure that you’re there to help them if they need.
“But it was a great environment for me to go in and sit and learn and obviously contribute at times when I was asked but really just to take everything in and I learnt an incredible amount.”
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'We're doing a lot of work' - Johnny Sexton says Irish attack will fire
JOHNNY SEXTON WAS at the heart of the great Irish attack that helped Andy Farrell’s team to a series success in New Zealand, a Grand Slam, and justified hopes of winning a World Cup.
They failed in that final mission, but they played some cracking rugby going after it.
As their out-half, Sexton was central to everything Ireland in that 2021/22/23 period when many other teams around the world tried to mimic what Farrell’s team were doing, particularly with their free-flowing, multi-option phase play attack.
Sexton was one of the men who made it tick, so it was no surprise when Farrell convinced him to return to the set-up as a coach. That was part-time last season but after doing the Lions tour with Farrell, Sexton is now a full-time employee of the IRFU.
His main remit is to focus on all aspects of Ireland’s kicking game but he helps defence coach Simon Easterby with defensive set-ups at scrums, while Sexton also continues to work closely with Farrell and backs coach Andrew Goodman on the Irish attack.
Ireland’s attack has been inconsistent since the heights of 2023. They have produced some brilliant attacking performances in the last couple of years, but there have been relatively barren days too. Last weekend against New Zealand, they only managed one try and while there were many issues involved, it wasn’t an attacking display Ireland were happy with.
All the more so because they had felt something big was coming in attack.
“Well, that’s the most disappointing thing, because what we saw in training for the last two weeks wasn’t what was reflected on Saturday,” said Sexton yesterday.
“If you looked at those first two weeks, you’d say we’re not far away at all [from 2023].
“If you looked at Saturday, you’d say we’re miles away but we’re hoping that we’ll show something a bit different now this weekend against Japan and in the last two games as well.
“So we’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes and making sure that that part of the game is as good as it’s ever been.”
Sexton said Ireland have belief that things will click for them in attack with three games against Japan, Australia, and South Africa to come in Dublin over the next three weekends.
It was interesting to see Ireland sprinkling in more attacking kicks in Chicago last weekend, with Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park both unsuccessfully attempting cross-field kicks.
Crowley also kicked two short grubbers and a short chip behind the defence in the New Zealand 22, even without any penalty advantage playing. That certainly isn’t characteristic of Ireland in recent seasons.
Sexton said it was a combination of their game plan and Crowley playing off the cuff.
“I think Jack did that superbly for Munster against Leinster the week before, maybe that was at the forefront of his mind,” said Sexton.
“It wasn’t something that we overemphasised during the week. And we always judge the decisions not on the outcome, but on the decision-making. So was the space there? Yes. OK, was the accuracy there? Yeah.
“A little bit unlucky on one, a little bit unlucky on another, and maybe on another one we could have played the edge [by passing] instead. So we always look at it like that.
“We don’t just say, ‘Oh, kicked the ball away, bad decision.’ You have to look deeper than that as coaches and we definitely have done that.
“So it’s something that we talk about a lot because teams, when they want to go 14 guys in the frontline and only one in the backfield, you have to try and expose that. So there’ll be times where we do go to it.
“Did we do a little bit too much on Saturday? Maybe, but if we get a couple of better outcomes, you’d be saying it was a fantastic thing. So it’s a balance, isn’t it?”
It’s not just the Irish attack that worried some of their supporters last weekend. There were lineout woes, scrum problems, and defensive slips at different stages of the game, leading to more discussion about Ireland being a team on the decline.
Again, the reference point for the falloff is a Grand Slam in 2023.
Sexton said that the changing personnel in Ireland’s squad meant there were always going to be challenges at this stage of their journey.
“There’s always going to be a bit of transition when you lose the number of caps and experience that you have in probably the key positions,” he said.
“If you go, you know, Peter O’Mahony recently, Cian Healy recently, Keith Earls, myself, Conor Murray. That’s probably, I don’t know exactly, but close to 600 caps I presume.
“So you take that out of the building, of course there’s going to be a little bit of teething, but there wasn’t a problem when they won the Six Nations in 2024.
“In last year’s Six Nations, we slipped up towards the end, particularly against a very good French team, but the results in the other games were quite good, but the performance against Italy wasn’t great.
“If you take the whole since 2023, there’s been some amazing victories. We talk about France away, a record victory [in 2024].
“So, it’s just getting that consistency now that’s the key. Could the performance be better? Of course.
“Even at the heights of the team that you’re referring to there, we always felt like we had things to work on as well. So, a couple of good wins and a couple of good performances will change the narrative pretty quick, I’m sure.”
Sexton’s role continues to involve working closely with Ireland’s out-halves, Crowley, Sam Prendergast, and Ciarán Frawley.
Prendergast was the main man last season at number 10, but Crowley was back at out-half last weekend in Chicago.
“I think that both of them have done really well in difficult circumstances,” said Sexton. “In terms of the media narrative, the hype, the pressure that’s put on them from, not just you guys [the media], but from the country in general.
“And they’ve coped really well, they’ve performed very well, and what’s important now is that we’ve got two guys, and more than that, going to the World Cup, ready to play for Ireland at a very high level.
“When you take their age and their experience, and you compare it to other out-halves that have gone before them, they’re way ahead. I mean, they’re way ahead of me.
“For example, I was playing AIL at Sam’s age, struggling to get on the bench for Leinster.
“You just have to be careful of, I suppose, the age and the amount of rugby that they’ve played and the level that they’re playing at.
“They’re going to be world-class, both of them; they’ve shown at times that they can be already. So we’re very lucky that both of them.”
Sexton added that Ciarán Frawley is “training really well in the background,” while Harry Byrne will play for the Ireland XV team against Spain on Saturday.
As those men are trying to improve their craft as out-halves, Sexton continues to learn quickly as a coach. This is his first season as a full-time coach, so it’s still new.
He has been visiting professional teams in other sports with a view to gaining fresh perspectives. Sexton has been in with football clubs like Brentford and Shamrock Rovers, while he visited rugby league’s Canberra Raiders while on tour with the Lions, as well as going into the Adelaide Crows, an Aussie rules club.
But upskilling in rugby union is the key and Sexton enjoyed his experience with the Lions last summer, a role that prepared him for his new position working with Ireland and in the IRFU’s men’s and women’s pathways.
Going full-time on the Lions tour helped him to realise just how different it is from part-time coaching.
“You’re in every single meeting and I was responsible on the Lions tour for just looking after the kickers,” said Sexton.
“When you’re looking after kickers on Lions tours, you’re not changing too much. They’ve got their own way of kicking and you’re just trying to help them, making sure they’ve cars to get to kicking, making sure the balls are there, making sure that you’re there to help them if they need.
“But it was a great environment for me to go in and sit and learn and obviously contribute at times when I was asked but really just to take everything in and I learnt an incredible amount.”
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