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Sexton: 'You can't be saying those things if you're not even Six Nations champions because people would just laugh at you'

By PA
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Johnny Sexton says Ireland would be ridiculed if they attempted to imitate England by making bold declarations of wanting to be the “greatest team that ever played rugby”.

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England head coach Eddie Jones came out with the ambitious statement early last year in the aftermath of a frustrating World Cup final defeat to South Africa.
Jones’ men were beaten by France in their next game but recovered to claim the Guinness Six Nations title and win the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup.

Ireland captain Sexton was relatively coy when asked for specific targets going into this year’s Six Nations, refusing to “go shouting them from the rooftop”.

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England rugby in training ahead of Scotland in Six Nations

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England rugby in training ahead of Scotland in Six Nations

The 35-year-old, whose side finished third in both competitions entered in 2020, insists his reluctance to make proclamations is purely down to recent results, as opposed to there being contrasting mentalities in the Irish and English camps.

“They’re at a different stage, they’re (Six Nations) champions, they’re World Cup finalists,” Sexton said of England.

“They are statements that we can (maybe) make in a few years – I might not be here when they are making them – but you can’t be saying those things if you’re not even Six Nations champions because people would just laugh at you.

“They have the right to make those statements because they were at a World Cup final, on another day they could have won it, they were Six Nations champions a couple of times over the last few years, so a big difference.

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“We need to go and win the championship before we can start talking about becoming the greatest Irish side.

“It’s step by step and we’re not there yet. Fair play to them for doing that.”

Ireland are intent on closing the gap to England and France following an unconvincing first year under head coach Andy Farrell.

Fly-half Sexton, who has been struggling with a hamstring problem, is back in full training and declared himself fit for Sunday’s tournament opener away to Wales.

While Jacob Stockdale, Caelan Doris and Quinn Roux are ruled out of the trip to Cardiff, Jordan Larmour, Iain Henderson, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong are among those to have overcome injury problems to bolster Irish ranks.

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Sexton hopes the reinforcements can help Farrell’s men start the championship in style.

“It is a great boost to have all of those names back fit,” he said.

“We haven’t had them enough over the last year. Garry’s had a bad run when you consider the luck that goes with some of the injuries he has had, a broken thumb, a broken jaw twice. That’s just bad luck and it can happen to anyone.

“To have him back and the other guys – Tadhg and Hendy are a big part of our front five – it just gives you more, whether it’s off the bench or starting.

“It’s a good place to be but we’ve got to go out and do the business now to reflect that. It would be terrible if we had all these guys fit and went out and didn’t play great.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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