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'There were 50 players... 20 of them are going to be left at home'

By PA
(Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Captain Johnny Sexton says Ireland must keep striving for improvement in order to avoid complacency and a repeat of previous World Cup failings.

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The in-form Irish are preparing to begin their autumn campaign against world champions South Africa, having shot to the top of the global rankings following a historic summer series win in New Zealand.

Ireland were tipped for big things at the 2019 World Cup in Japan on the back of Six Nations Grand Slam glory and victory over the All Blacks the previous year before slipping to a familiar quarter-final exit.

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With the start of the 2023 tournament in France just over 10 months away, fly-half Sexton has credited the Irish coaching staff with increasing competition for places and not allowing established players to slide into their comfort zones.

Head coach Andy Farrell has been training with a squad of 49 in Dublin ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the Springboks, which is preceded by Friday evening’s fixture between an Ireland A team and an All Blacks XV.

“You’ve got to keep evolving, you’ve got to keep getting better,” said Sexton. “If you stay the same, other teams will pass you out.

“We need to build a real competition for places so that no one can get comfortable and that is exactly what the coaches are doing.

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“They’re challenging us in how we play the game, they’re challenging us by putting all these extra fixtures in, with the Emerging Ireland tour, the Maori games, now the New Zealand A game, so all these guys are getting chances to impress the coaches and to play under the coaches, to listen and put what the coaches want out on the pitch.

“There were 50 players at training and I was thinking to myself 20 of them are going to be left at home for the World Cup.

“And I couldn’t pick who is going to be left at home, there are going to be some good players left out.

“That’s exactly where we want to be and keep cultivating. Those are the lessons we learnt that we’re implementing.”

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Ireland and South Africa are poised to lock horns for the first time in five years before meeting again next September at the World Cup.

While the pool stage fixture in Paris adds an extra dimension to the weekend clash, Sexton insists his attention is almost exclusively on short-term matters.

“I’m just trying to focus on what is straight in front of me,” said the 37-year-old Leinster player.

“I haven’t thought too much about the bigger picture. It’s a driving factor, but it’s not something I think about this week, for example.

“We have spoken about the World Cup of course and have that as the goal so we are always building towards that.

“We don’t refer to it week on week. It is very much focused on South Africa this week.”

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Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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