Gerry Thornley: Photograph of Sexton and Keane captures optimism of Ireland’s World Cup hopes

Rarely, if ever, have two such internationally acclaimed stars from different Irish sports offered such a front page opportunity. And so the front pages of Wednesday’s papers duly obliged.

As the 2018 World Rugby Player of the Year and captain/talisman of the world’s number one ranked side, not to mention a two-time Grand Slam winner and four-time Champions Cup winner, it’s doubtful any Irish rugby player has achieved a bigger profile than Johnny Sexton, or at any rate certainly one to rival Brian O’Driscoll or Ronan O’Gara.

Given his array of achievements in his football career with Nottingham Forest, Man United and Celtic, as well as compelling persona and, ala his fellow Corkman O’Gara, a captivating presence on television as a pundit, it’s even likelier that no other Irish footballer has had a bigger profile in Ireland, the UK or elsewhere abroad than Roy Keane.

When the camera clicked at Ireland’s training camp in the Algarve, David Kilcoyne happens to be in front of Sexton and Keane as they enjoyed what seemed like a proper belly laugh together, and with the best will in the world, it’s doubtful “Killer” has ever enjoyed such exposure. With similar goodwill, even Niall Horan and Pádraig Harrington were among the cast of extras on the sidelines among such Irish sporting royalty.

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While there were also pictures of Sexton and Keane engaged in more serious conversation while evidently watching training from the sidelines, the photo of them sharing a laugh appealed more to editors. It’s also truer to their characters than the often parodied, more stereotypical images of the two uber-driven, high-achieving, somewhat humourless and even angry men.

As someone who’s interviewed both, Sexton and Keane are as sharp as a tack and with a wit to match. At a recent podcast roadshow involving Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, with Paul McGrath and Keane on the podium, by all accounts the latter provided most of the laughs in typically wicked fashion by mocking Neville for his slavish devotion to Alex Ferguson.

Keane’s sense of humour shone through in a lengthy interview with David Walsh in the Sunday Times last year when, again typically, he commented: “Graeme Souness was a brilliant midfielder in his day ... and he’d be the first to tell you that.”

Sexton is also, sorry, a truly mad keen Man United fan, meaning he had to apologise to mates and fellow supporters in the wake of him invoking Liverpool’s Champions League final comeback against Milan during the interval of Leinster’s comeback win in the 2009 Champions Cup final which he inspired.

Keane began visiting Munster squads to address the players, and attend their games, two decades ago, and has also spent time with the All Blacks, England and Ireland in the past.

Of course, the photo also offered comedy gold for social media, with Sexton’s recent ban another unifying topic. On Twitter, Jared Wright had Keane saying: “Listen here rookie, I get paid for calling people a disgrace.”

On the same theme, someone else posted Keane saying: “When you abuse officials, ya gotta be smart, get paid for it. That’s the key”.

But as well as offering front page and social media gold, the picture of Ireland’s most high-profile footballer attending an Irish rugby training session and amiably chatting with the captain, perhaps highlighted something else. This year, more than ever, the spread of support throughout Ireland for Andy Farrell’s side appears bigger than has ever been the case before.

Bumping into another former Irish footballer turned pundit, Kenny Cunningham, during the week, he admitted he was “buzzing” about the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France. As were all his football mates.

Eh, why so this one?

Because, Cunningham explained, never before has an Irish team gone into a World Cup in an international sport as the world’s best ranked side and one of the favourites to win it.

True, and for that reason a little scary. But perhaps the celebrated photo of Sexton and Keane captured that optimism too.