'He got involved': Conor Murray on Johnny Sexton's return to camp

Johnny Sexton’s return to the Ireland camp last November as a consultant panned out exactly how many would have expected.

The former Ireland captain was drafted in by Andy Farrell for their Autumn Nations Series campaign, working as a mentor for his fledgling successors Jack Crowley, Sam Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley, but his return to the set-up was never going to be peaceful.

Sexton’s long-time halfback partner Conor Murray recently provided an insight into what the 124-cap international’s involvement in the Ireland camp looked like, with his characteristic “narkiness” coming to the fore.

Joining the For the Love of Rugby podcast before joining the national team ahead of the Guinness Six Nations, the Munster scrum-half opened up on life after Sexton.

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“I don’t miss him screaming at me,” the 35-year-old said.

“I think I’ve won one argument out of the hundreds we’ve had on the pitch, and I had to be dead sure I was right. So that side of things, no.

“We’re great mates, he’s a legend of rugby. I think there’s pressure on the boys, [Sam] Prendergast, [Jack] Crowley and [Ciaran] Frawley, and whoever else gets a chance, the public will always be like ‘Johnny would have done this, Johnny would have done that,’ which is a big pressure on their shoulders. They’re trying to be themselves.

“Johnny is in with us. He was in with us a little bit over November and hopefully, he will be during the Six Nations too. He’s passing on knowledge and he gets involved. In November he got involved in a couple of training sessions and he still has that narkiness, giving it out to the lads, it doesn’t leave you, it just doesn’t leave you. So lads were giving him a few shoulders and stuff, so it was good to see, giving it to him.

“Obviously that’s a big hole to fill but Sam is flying at Leinster and Jack too.