Johnny Sexton’s first-half kicking performance didn’t inspire confidence

Johnny Sexton's kicking game against Wales didn't get off to the best of starts.

Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton missed the start of the Captain's Run the day before the Wales clash in the Aviva. Back issues were the reason behind his absence and that left fans worried heading into Saturday's big game. The Leinster man started brightly thought. He got the home fans on their feet with a bullet of a pass to send Jacob Stockdale over the line for his seventh try in as many caps. It was a beautiful pass, but he missed the conversion. https://twitter.com/TV3Ireland/status/967406402950975493 Admittedly, that was a tough kick from the sideline, but Sexton's kicking didn't pick up for a while. He missed his next two which left the Welsh off the hook. It meant that when the Dragons got their first try, they held onto the lead for a considerable amount of time. It wasn't until the stroke of half-time until Ireland took the lead again. By then, Sexton had fired over a penalty and a conversion bringing his tally up to two from five. While both kicks were fairly straightforward, fans will be hoping he takes confidence from them. Up until he made those kicks, there were genuine concerns about this aspect of his game. https://twitter.com/patmccarry/status/967407056192966659 https://twitter.com/GilroysWorld/status/967407580120338435 https://twitter.com/StevenFoster89/status/967407021367676929 https://twitter.com/_DaphneR/status/967407077604896768 https://twitter.com/AgFeach/status/967408504377106432 https://twitter.com/RoyCharles125/status/967407249961488384