| Perhaps the most tell-tale aspect of Johnny Sexton’s new autobiography is that it took seven years to stitch together. Seven years? Not since James Joyce took a similar time frame to write Ulysses has there been such a slow-cooked Irish literary stew. And as Peter O’Reilly, Sexton’s excellent (and potentially long-suffering) ghostwriter, reveals in the final acknowledgements, there was little need for many supplementary interviews because of “Johnny’s exceptional memory for detail”. Combine those twin ingredients and a tasty dish is all but assured. Because Johnny can remember everything and everybody. What his friends said and did, what his enemies were thinking (or, at least, what he thoughtthey were thinking), how he felt at certain crucial moments. If it reads at times like a cold-eyed despatch from an endless battle that is, for a good deal of his career, how it felt. “For so much of the time I was at war – with opponents, with rivals, sometimes with coaches, often with myself. For the most part … it felt like a fight.” |
| Which, let’s face it, will not massively surprise anyone who followed Sexton over the years. Fly-halves like him do not win 118 Ireland caps, twice represent the British & Irish Lions, secure two grand slams and become world player of the year by dutifully holding the door open for their opponents. There were porcupines less prickly than a relentlessly-driven Sexton, which is what makes his retrospective musings so fascinating. For years he was gripped by such a fierce competitive force that, at times, it consumed all else. It also explains the title: Obsessed. The digested read can be found on page 300 when he recalls the time Stuart Lancaster invited the entire Leinster squad to undertake a colour-coded personality test, the idea being to discover how many were deep-thinking blues, laid-back greens, extrovert yellows or strong-willed, ultra-competitive reds. When the results came back it turned out the squad contained just one pure, deep-throbbing red. Guess who? And yet. This is the very same individual who once wanted to become a doctor and whose game as an out-half was built around clarity and tactical precision. If Sexton was just a red-mister, he would never have made it to the top. Which is why his book is a must-read for anyone who assumes most top pros are emotion-free robots. Sexton, now 39, does hint that his wife Laura thinks he lacks empathy but he has clearly spent years trying to work himself out. The result is, for the most part, a revealing glimpse into the psyche of a serial winner. This is no leafy lane memoir. Sexton seldom suffered fools and fond reminiscences of socialising with the opposition are conspicuously absent. Take his spat with the All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane following the final whistle of Ireland’s gutting World Cup quarter-final loss to New Zealand. If Ioane’s parting shot – “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your flight home, you cunt” – were less than gracious, Sexton is honest enough to concede that he was frequently no choirboy himself. No wonder the argumentative Roy Keane became his big hero growing up as a Manchester United supporter. Or that he struck up a rapport on the 2013 Lions tour with the similarly-wired Owen Farrell. Sexton was already bridling at his school teachers from his early years and, for all his playmaking talent, could start a row in an empty dressing-room. But if that paints him as uncomfortable company there has always been another side to him. I once spent an evening sitting with him and Laura at the Rugby Union Writers’ Club awards dinner in London, and was struck by his courtesy and respect towards old-school alickadoos and media types with whom he might not naturally have rushed to break bread. The next day, after we had politely sought to cover his accommodation expenses, we were told he had quietly settled his hotel bill himself. So much for the ever-present red mist. There are sly surprises in the book, too. Did you know Sexton would sneak away to mass on the eve of big Ireland games? Or practiced mindfulness techniques? Or that he was a frequent migraine sufferer? Or that he and his supposed arch-enemy Ronan O’Gara became mates when both were living in Paris and employed by Racing 92? People tend to assume they know a person pretty well when they have watched them play top-level rugby for 15 years. Sexton is far more layered than that. His genuine admiration for consistent winning coaches such as Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell also shines through. It recalls something his perceptive former Leinster and Ireland midfield colleague Gordon D’Arcy once told me. “His drive is not for perfection, it’s for success,” explained D’Arcy, highlighting the difference between Sexton’s on-field and off-field personas. “It didn’t use to matter if you were going for dinner with him that night, with your wives and partners, or if you were someone he couldn’t stand. Everybody was equal within the white lines.” Michael Cheika, his first Leinster coach, still remembers the “daggers” the young Sexton would give him when not selected. “I could see him cursing … I could see the thought bubbles coming out of his head.” Sexton’s “rugby IQ” and ability to shape a game, though, have long since been globally admired. There is just one glaring shamrock-shaped hole in the narrative: the absence of a clearly much-desired chapter detailing how and why Ireland won the 2023 World Cup. “I’m still convinced that we were the best team at the tournament,” writes Sexton, who says he will probably never be able to re-watch that fateful quarter-final loss. Read Obsessed and you will understand why. Rotating cast There are world-famous sitcoms whose casts feature fewer walk-on characters than England rugby’s backroom team. Felix Jones and Aled Walters were both key cogs in Steve Borthwick’s coaching staff on the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand in June and July, only for both to abandon ship shortly afterwards. Joe El-Abd, once Borthwick’s flat-mate at the University of Bath, has been drafted in as defence coach but will be dividing his time with his “other” role in charge of French side Oyonnax. Kevin Sinfield will still be involved but, it seems, will not be available for every game in the forthcoming Autumn Nations Series because he is on a pre-arranged public speaking tour. And England’s bid to lure Phil Morrow from Saracens as their new performance director has now hit a snag after the Premiership clubs voted 7-3 against the idea of “Two Jobs Phil” combining the roles. Morrow would have access to all the medical data of every squad member and could also, in theory, be required to ask Harlequins to rest, say, Marcus Smith before a big game against Sarries. Which, to suspicious eyes, risks undermining the integrity of the entire league. Borthwick can still call on the full-time services of Richard Wigglesworth and Tom Harrison but the consistency of selection he wants to instil on the field is not currently in evidence off it. |
And finally … Everyone wants a glimpse of Taylor Swift and English rugby is clearly no different. The Rugby Football Union wants to attract up to 15 more non-sporting events to the stadium previously known as Twickenham, including concerts featuring the world’s top entertainers. Due to historic opposition from local residents, the RFU is currently limited to hosting no more than three concerts per year. Each requires a significantly-reduced capacity, with two of the dates on a Saturday. This mean no single act can play across three consecutive days, making other venues in London more attractive to concert organisers. The RFU, accordingly, has launched a public consultation to seek views of residents, businesses and the rugby community. The stakes are high as extra funds are needed to fund the £500m redevelopment of a stadium which generates 90% of the RFU’s revenue but has not been upgraded in certain areas since the 1990s. If history is any guide, however, it may be some time before Miss Swift is spotted strolling down Twickenham’s Church Street. Still want more? Watch England’s women see off world champions New Zealand in WXV 1. Poppy Cleall tells Sarah Rendell why this PWR season will test women’s bodies. Catch up with the big matches in the mens’ Premiership this weekend, including wins for Northampton, Bristol and Saracens. And Grenfell campaigners are urging the RFU to rethink its new training facility development at Pennyhill Park. To subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. And sign up for The Recap, the best of our sports writing from the past seven days. |
Johnny Sexton celebrating after Ireland’s win over South Africa that convinced him they were the best team in the 2023 World Cup, despite bowing out in quarter-finals. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters 
