BOD wasn’t going to take that one lying down.
After Saturday evening’s heroics, Irish fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief as some of the concerns and worries over this Irish side in the aftermath of the Wales defeat were firmly put to rest.
Yes, inconsistency is still an issue, but Ireland’s performance against Eddie Jones’ side was incredibly efficient and accurate.
Ireland were by far the better than the four-point margin of victory might suggest and the Irish players and management can now look to the future with optimism, rather than dwelling on the mistakes of the past.
There were many standout players from an Irish perspective over the last seven weeks but few more than Jonathan Sexton.
The Leinster out-half returned to the Irish side against France after missing the opening two fixtures through injury.
Any worries over the 31-year-old’s ability to perform at the top level after such an absence were ultimately proved to be without substance.
Sexton put in two excellent performances against France and England but unfortunately found it difficult to put his stamp on the game against Wales, partly due to the disruption to his game through a HIA and a 10-minute sin-binning.
He was subject to a number of late hits against the English but he never let it get to him.
These looked borderline to us… https://t.co/MYmQgqlbp4
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 18, 2017
Stephen Jones, the Sunday Times’ rugby correspondents, provided player ratings for Saturday evening’s Aviva Stadium clash and the outspoken writer made some questionable comments about Sexton which Brian O’Driscoll found difficult to fathom.
'Potentially a great player'?! He gets hit because he has the liathróidà (balls in Irish) to take the ball to the line creating space. pic.twitter.com/70k1kL5a9h
— Brian O'Driscoll (@BrianODriscoll) March 20, 2017
Jones refers to Sexton as “potentially a great player”.
We were not aware that Sexton being classified as a great player was ever in question.
That’s news to us.
He also states that the more Sexton stays down, the more he will be targeted.
Another bizarre comment.
What is Sexton supposed to do when he is on the receiving end of late, illegal hits?
As O’Driscoll rightly states, Sexton gets hit because of his excellent ability to attack the gain line, a trait which few other out-halves possess or at least can do to the same ability as Sexton.
