Ireland Begin Life After Johnny Sexton
With the dust now settled after a dramatic 2023 World Cup on French soil, Ireland are facing up to the reality of life after Johnny Sexton.
Ireland’s greatest fly-half and one of the nation’s best-ever players hung up his boots after the major tournament and now all eyes on are how Andy Farrell’s side will fare without the Leinster legend.
A Cruel End For Sexton
It was not to be the fairytale ending for the 38-year-old Sexton, as Ireland suffered quarter-final heartbreak at the hands of New Zealand. The Irish, who are 7/4 in the rugby union betting odds, battled hard against the All Blacks but ended up on the wrong end of a 28-24 scoreline. Having won the 2023 Six Nations with a Grand Slam and going into the World Cup at the top of the world rankings, Ireland will feel disappointed they could not achieve a historic success in France.
The events of the 2023 World Cup will be hard to shake off, as Sexton left the field in tears after a dramatic defeat to New Zealand. With 118 caps for his country and a remarkable 1108 points scored, Sexton owes nothing to Irish rugby. Not only a great player and goal-kicker in the No.10 jersey, Sexton was also an outstanding leader. A senior figure who would drive up standards and would have no qualms in telling others if they were not pulling their weight, there will be a void left in Sexton’s absence heading into the 2024 Six Nations.
All Eyes On Paris
With the 2024 Six Nations approaching, all eyes will be on Ireland’s biggest test in their opening game. It does not get any tougher for the Irish than a trip to the Stade de France to take on the French and that’s what they will do on February 2nd. These sides played out a titanic tussle in the 2023 Six Nations in Dublin, with Ireland managing to edge a Test match of the highest standard. Both nations will go into the game wondering about what might have been at the World Cup, especially France, who failed to make home advantage count.
Ireland’s task in Paris has been made more difficult with the retirement of Sexton but it was always going to happen at some point and now is an opportunity for another player to step up. Ross Byrne was certainly a player in contention to start in the No.10 jersey against France but an arm injury means he will be out of action until January. That is a dent to his prospects of being named in the starting XV against the French but he should at least have some time to prove his form before the highly-anticipated Six Nations.
Ireland have a regimented way of playing under Farrell and whoever comes into the fly-half role will still have a world-class team around them. The loss of a legend is a blow and all eyes will be on how the Irish cope in this post-Sexton era at this next Six Nations.
