Johnny Sexton’s ex-teammate hits out at ‘as low as you can get’ Rieko Ioane comments
James Tracy has hit out Rieko Ioane for his comments towards Johnny Sexton after the Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Johnny Sexton’s former Leinster teammate James Tracy has hit out at Rieko Ioane for his comments towards the former fly-half after the Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Tracy has dubbed Ioane’s behaviour “as bad as it gets” after he sledged Sexton after the final whistle of the quarter-final clash, which proved to be the Irish fly-half and captain’s final professional rugby match.
Excerpts of Sexton’s autobiography, Obsessed, were published in the Irish Times and have caused a real stir, with the former fly-half revealing what the All Blacks centre remarked to him after defeating Ireland in the last-eight encounter.
Sexton-Ioane spat
Recounting the events after Sam Whitelock won a crucial penalty to seal the victory for New Zealand and passage into the semi-finals of the tournament, Sexton wrote: “And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, ‘Get back ten metres.’
“‘Huh?’
“‘Penalty,’ he says. ‘Back ten.’ And then, after Barnes blows the final whistle, he says, ‘Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c***.’
“So much for the All Blacks’ famous ‘no d***heads’ policy. So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f****r. It doesn’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.”
Sexton went on to explain while Ioane lacked humility, many of the other All Blacks did not, a belief shared by his ex-teammate Tracy who slammed Ioane’s antics and disrespect towards the Ireland great.
Tracy hits back
Tracy feels that Sexton did not instigate a spat with the All Blacks centre and had he, then it was fair game.
However, the hooker said that his actions went against the All Blacks’ claims of being humble and having a no-d***heads policy.
“Whatever about what happens on the field and how you feel about a certain player and everything like that, what he’s [Sexton] done for the game, never mind just Irish rugby, is something you respect whether you like the person or not,” Tracy said on Off the Ball.
“If you don’t like him, just don’t say anything to him.
“You’ve just beaten him on the biggest stage, in the biggest moment, and you know they’re done. You had every opportunity every time you played them to take their head off if you don’t like them.
“If Johnny had something chirpy to him first as the whistle went, then he responded that way, then that’s fair game. By all means, take as many shots as you want in that moment – if he opens the floor.
“But you know, especially in the context that they’ve thrown the kitchen sink, they can barely walk, and everything that they’ve done for Irish rugby and rugby in general, then just to have that low blow…”
He added: “If the cameras are on, they’re sweeping the sheds, he’s front of the camera. It’s as low as you can get.
“Not all of the New Zealand rugby players are like that, and that’s well known, but I thought that was as bad as it gets in terms of trying to claim that you’re humble and no d**heads and all that stuff.”
