JONATHAN SEXTONIt looks like being an exciting end to the season for Leinster's number one outhalf who has bounced back from a kicking blip during the World Cup in typically determined fashion, writes GAVIN CUMMISKEY

JONATHAN SEXTON has just 13 outings in a blue jersey this season. Six in the Pro 12, seven in Europe. He also squeezed in a Six Nations campaign where Declan Kidney continued with the notion of employing him as an inside centre to get Ronan O’Gara involved down the straight.

That rivalry clearly still exists in the national coach’s mind, but not Sexton’s, who seems only concerned with his own progress. Himself and O’Gara have both taken 30 shots at goal in the league, with Sexton landing an astonishing 27, for a 90 per cent return, to his rival’s 25 for an impressive 83.33 per cent strike rate.

It earned him the golden boot award at last week’s players’ awards in Cardiff. Six games, 81 points, he took it and ran.

The lack of pitch-time may have assisted the completion of a commerce degree with his “final, final” exam last Thursday. A Masters of some form will follow, but not for at least 12 months as the 26-year-old intends to focus on his primary trade for the next while.

Thirteen games should become 16, providing Glasgow are dispensed with this evening, wrapping up the season with Ulster at Twickenham and a Rabo final a week later in Dublin, perhaps against Munster and O’Gara.

Then there is the small matter of a unique three-Test series in New Zealand that has a Lions tour feel to it. With all that ahead, the general public must be pleased with Sexton’s cotton wool status but the man himself is not.

“I’d prefer to play when I am fit and when you pick up a few knocks along the way, you can take a week off then rather than prescribing what weeks are taken off.”

This is not a criticism of the Leinster and IRFU ways of player management, in fact, he buys into Joe Schmidt’s subtle tinkering.

“Joe mixes and matches a lot and seems to make the right decision a lot of the time. He is lucky that we’ve got two or three guys going for most positions. The guys know if someone else starts that he is still going to get 20, 30 minutes so he can stay positive. Or they will start the next week.

“We are lucky Joe switches around the team a bit; we are looked after even if the player programme wasn’t there but I just feel sometimes when I am getting on a bit of a roll playing in the team consistently, that’s when you start to hit your best form. It can be frustrating when you play three or four games in a row, and feel like you are coming into really good form and have to take a week off. I just prefer to keep going and try and to keep getting better.”

An upward curve in form has been apparent since returning from last year’s World Cup in New Zealand. But Sexton disagrees. He hasn’t any lingering issues with his performances at that tournament, despite his kicking statistics plummeting to 47 per cent, with just seven successful kicks from 15 attempts.

“I was happy with how I played during the World Cup. I just had a blip in terms of my place kicking. I have got 90 per cent of my kicks since the World Cup. There are reasons why I didn’t kick well at the World Cup. I’m not going to talk about them because people will think I am just making excuses. I will talk about them when I retire. But, you know, shit happens. I have moved on from it and I’m pretty happy with how the season’s gone post-World Cup and hopefully there is a big finish in terms of Leinster and then hopefully I can go down to New Zealand and put a few bad things out of my head from the last time.”

The return to form was instantaneous.

In his first outing on October 28th Sexton posted six penalties, a conversion and a drop goal to beat Edinburgh in Murrayfield. That was followed up by a flawless seven penalties in the dismissal of Munster.

His four kicks in Montpellier helped secure a draw as the defending champions’ European campaign got off to a decent start. All the while his numbers remained vital; six penalties at the Rec against Bath proving particularly helpful. And his other contributions, defence and play-making, look more assured than ever.

But his lack of exposure coupled with injury to Mat Berquist, signed from Canterbury to shadow Sexton, opened the gate for Ian Madigan. Some hugely impressive performances, exuding a refreshingly adventurous style of attacking nous, were showcased by the Blackrock man.

Then Sexton would return and Leinster’s performance would go up another notch.

“Mads had a tough start to the season, which is obviously a good sign that he is quite resilient. Like, when we were at the World Cup, Mat Berquist started and then Ian came in and then he got dropped for Noel Reid and then he came in again.

“I suppose it is a good trait to have, the ability to bounce back. He has played really well with all his chances since.

“We are lucky, as the same goes for myself, with Joe doing a hell of a lot of work for us. We only have to worry about our own job, we don’t have to do too much worrying about whether everyone else is going to know what’s going on.”

Irish outhalves have started sprouting up all over the place. His expected opposite number in Twickenham next Saturday, Paddy Jackson, has leaped from Ireland under-20 captain to training with the Six Nations squad to a European debut in Ulster’s semi-final defeat of Edinburgh. Sexton kicked with him in Carton House a few months ago.

“Yeah, I’ve spent a bit of time with him in camp. He looks like a really good player for 20 years of age. He has the 20s World Cup after this so it is going to be a great end to the season for him. He’s a really good prospect, seems like a down to earth guy as well.”

He name checks all his potential rivals on the road ahead, even noting that Miah Nikora will be Irish qualified soon and that Niall O’Connor is switching back from Connacht to Ulster this summer. But the only real concern is his personal duel with himself.

“Again, it is about having respect for those guys, but you got to look forward; I’m just trying to get better. If somebody gets picked ahead of me there is nothing I can do about that, I just have to keep improving, playing well.

“I can’t worry about others but it is going to be interesting for the next few years.” It certainly is. The statistics don’t lie: the blip long since past, the age of Sexton is upon us.