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Paul O'Connell likens Johnny Sexton to Manchester Utd legend
Johnny Sexton possesses similar qualities to former footballer Roy Keane, according to Ireland great Paul O’Connell.
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Irish captain Sexton has been one of his country’s most influential players for more than a decade and will win his 100th Test cap during Saturday’s clash with Japan in Dublin.
Former skipper O’Connell – one of only six Irishman to have previously reached the milestone – played alongside the fly-half for many years and now works as forwards coach for the national team.
He attributes Sexton’s longevity to relentless drive, a leading trait of both former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain Keane and serial All-Ireland hurling champion Henry Shefflin.
“I think winning makes him want winning more – winning doesn’t take the edge off,” said O’Connell, who won 108 Ireland caps between 2002 and 2015.
“He moves on from winning very quickly. Sometimes if we win badly, he almost treats it like a loss, if we don’t play well, don’t perform well, if we don’t execute what we want to do.
“I compare him to a Henry Shefflin or a Roy Keane, winning doesn’t take the edge off him. That’s one of the big reasons that he’s had such a big influence on the teams he’s been involved in.
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“Some guys have big lofty goals and when they achieve them they take their foot off the gas or they allow their teams to take their foot off the gas. He just pushes harder and harder.”
'While the England fly half situation is attracting all the attention, it’s the lack of new faces elsewhere that should be of more concern'@AndyGoode10 ??? on Eddie's real selection bungle #ENGvTON #AutumnNationsSeries https://t.co/wtELBPtp7R
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 6, 2021
Sexton will follow in the footsteps of Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Rory Best, Cian Healy, John Hayes and ex-Munster lock O’Connell in reaching a century of appearances.
The 36-year-old Leinster player is renowned for being a demanding taskmaster on the field and the training ground.
Yet O’Connell says Sexton also possesses an affable side, which contributes significantly in bringing the best out of team-mates.
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“He has credibility with it because, despite what he may look like, he’s great fun, he’s great craic around the place,” continued 42-year-old O’Connell.
Romain Poite will ref his last international Test match this weekend. @JLyall93 ??? spoke to the man himself earlier this summer in maybe the most revealing and frank interview he has ever given #Poite #ICYMI #SCOvAUS #AutumnNationsSeries https://t.co/0q4lVHNgvL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 6, 2021
“He builds relationships with people. When a guy you’ve built a relationship with drives you to a higher standard, you tend to react quite well to it.
“When I played, he was a great guy to have as a captain on the team because he didn’t wait for other people to lead or he didn’t look for the captain to always be on top of people.
“He just drove the team on relentlessly himself. The way he reacts to winning is the big thing for me.”
Sexton is one of 12 Leinster players in head coach Andy Farrell’s starting XV for the weekend.
Munster players Andrew Conway and Tadhg Beirne also came through the ranks at the Dublin-based province, with Connacht’s New Zealand-born centre Bundee Aki the only player without a connection.
O’Connell says Ireland’s coaching team did not consider club allegiances when selecting the side but concedes the statistic will be “a concern” for the other three provinces.
“For sure, I’d say every province wants to have more Irish players in their squad,” said O’Connell.
“I remember when I first came into the Munster team under Declan Kidney, we had a big goals sheet and one of the top goals was more Munster players playing for a winning Ireland.
“I’m sure it is a concern for the provinces.
“From our point of view, I only found out about it yesterday, so it’s not something we ever pay attention to or discuss or worry about. We just try to pick what we think is right on the day.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments