Johnny Sexton’s Eddie Jones swipe and how Ireland boss Andy Farrell ‘keeps us accountable’ since All Blacks loss
Ex-Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, who is now on Andy Farrell's coaching staff, and Eddie Jones, inset, with England
Johnny Sexton has taken a kicking game swipe at Eddie Jones ahead of this Saturday’s Ireland versus Japan match in Dublin.
Current assistant coach Sexton was at the heart of the Irish game as a player when Jones was in charge of England from 2016 through to 2022, and a tactic that unfolded midway through that stewardship was referenced by the former Ireland captain on Tuesday.
The Irish flew into Dublin on Monday following last Saturday’s loss to the All Blacks in Chicago and a query about how the kicking game fared in the 13-26 defeat became Sexton’s invitation to run the rule over the performance – and also reference the mischief Jones got up to some years ago when coaching England against Ireland.
“While we were down to 14 men for the red card, our kicking game was excellent,” Sexton believed. “Despite not winning the ball cleanly in the air, they [New Zealand] didn’t win it and we won a load of scraps.
“Now it’s back in as a contest…”
“That’s probably what kept us in the game for that part of the game, and that’s part of the game that gave them a lot of access in the second half, I would say. A couple of the kicks were just a little too long. We didn’t quite make it a contestable and they played off the back of it.
“It’s a massive part of the game now with the rule changes in terms of not being allowed to escort back, you have got to clear a good pathway for people to have a real contest and I think that will suit us because there is Gaelic football guys in there.
“I look back at probably 2019 when we were probably best in the world at kicking the ball, 18/19, and these rules where teams combatted a way to stop us getting up after it, that was partly how the escorting came in.
“Eddie Jones seemed like he came up with it to play against us. But now it’s back in as a contest and that will suit us going forward, but we have a little bit of work to do on it.”
Ireland were ahead of New Zealand for the guts of an hour before falling away in the final quarter and surrendering to their third successive loss versus the All Blacks. The defeat has stung and, according to Sexton, the message from head coach Andy Farrell has been clear to everyone involved.
“It’s trying to turn the page, taking the lessons and learn. Andy is always good at that. When you are in the environment, he always reframes things. You move on pretty quick, but he also keeps us accountable and makes us realise that it wasn’t good enough…
“We understand that. It just didn’t go to plan on the day, and we have got some good reasons for that now. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Switching to the potential line-up that Farrell will name on Thursday to take on the Japanese in the second match of Ireland’s four-game November programme, Sexton said: “It will be a bit of both, giving guys a chance for sure and some of it will be selection, guys will get a chance because others didn’t play that well at the weekend.
“It’s always a mixture and we need to pick a team that goes out and wins the game, it’s a really important game as all these games are with regards to rankings and with the World Cup draw coming up.
“So picking a team to win first and foremost, but at the same time Andy knows in two years’ time we are going to a World Cup and we have to have 40 players ready to go.”
