A primary difference between Johnny Sexton and Edith Piaf is the Ireland captain has “regrets,” something to which he alluded when tackled on the topic of his three-match suspension arising from on-pitch comments made to the match officials following Leinster’s Heineken Cup final defeat to La Rochelle in May.
He provided context, the Ireland captain speaking for the first time about the injury that caused him to miss that European final and the frustration and disappointment that provoked his outburst. Looking relaxed and refreshed at the squad announcement for the World Cup, Sexton would have anticipated the line of inquiry.
Regrets? “Of course, yeah. I held my hands up. I made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I was obviously very emotional on the day, not being part of what I had mapped out at the start of the year, which was playing my last game for Leinster in the Aviva, winning a European Cup.
“That’s what I dreamt of and then obviously to miss that, there was a lot of emotion that goes with it and in that split second, I went on [the pitch] to console my team-mates, I made a remark, and I regretted it instantly. You make mistakes, you say sorry, and hold your hands up.”
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He acknowledged that he found the toing and froing with regards to the disciplinary process which took two months to reach a conclusion “incredibly frustrating, not knowing what was going to happen. I’m not sure why it took so long but that’s the way it was handled.
“I got my suspension and I’ve had to just sit it out and that’s it. I was just trying to do the right thing at each stage. As I said previously, I made a mistake in that one moment. That’s what I held my hand up for. I don’t go along with a lot of the other stuff that was thrown at me, but sometimes you’ve just got to take it on the chin.” He stressed that he was not looking to play the victim.
Sexton missed that Champions Cup final due to an injury suffered in the Grand Slam winning victory over England in March. It was a serious issue. He said: “Yeah, for a kicker, to injure your adductors like I did is not ideal but thankfully the IRFU sent me to the best guy [Dr Griffin] in the world.
We also know that it’s the toughest group that we’ve ever had, the toughest quarter-final draw if we can manage to get through our group, so it’s all to do.
“He did a great job, he mapped it out for me, and he was literally, to the day, accurate in what he told me; when I could return to training, when I could kick a ball again. He just mapped it out, knew from his experience. It’s very impressive. Thankfully it’s been good over the last number of weeks and hopefully ready to go.”
Available for Ireland’s first match of the World Cup against Romania in Bordeaux on Saturday he was asked why he thought this Irish squad can create history in France. He said: “What we’ve done, over the last couple of years, how we’ve built from four years ago and got better along the way.
“I’ve been in groups before where you go to a World Cup, and you say we’re here to win it, but you don’t often have the achievements to back that up. [Whereas] we’ve got things like the Grand Slam, going to New Zealand and winning a series – stuff like that, stuff that when you go back over other teams that have won it, like England in 2003.
[It’s been] Incredibly frustrating to have to sit and watch, but it’s obviously my own fault
“They said they needed to win a Grand Slam, they needed to win in the southern hemisphere to win a World Cup. So, we’ve some evidence to give us a little bit of confidence but we also know that it’s the toughest group that we’ve ever had, the toughest quarter-final draw if we can manage to get through our group, so it’s all to do.”
On a personal level he spoke about the honour of leading Ireland to a World Cup. “[It means] a huge amount. If somebody told me four years ago that I’d be back here as captain, I would have taken it, 100 per cent.
“There’s been a lot put into this time by the management over the last four years, and to get their vote of confidence four years ago to do it with this as the end goal has been huge. I’m very proud for myself, for my family and just for the group that we have. It’s a very privileged position to be in with such a good group.
“[It’s been] Incredibly frustrating to have to sit and watch, but it’s obviously my own fault. That’s been life, I’ve just had to do what I could for the team and try and learn by watching the guys and contribute where I could.
“It was particularly tough [the previous weekend against England]) at the Aviva [missing the chance to play a final home game in a green jersey] but like I said, you live and learn and [I’m] happy to move on now.”
The Romania game in Bordeaux can’t come quickly enough, he’ll get the opportunity to move on in every respect, no longer tethered to that moment in May.
