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Johnny Sexton has said he was disappointed in his reaction to being substituted in the Guinness Six Nations loss to France on Saturday and revealed that he apologized to Andy Farrell for his behavior.
The Ireland captain retired at the Stade de France with just over 10 minutes to play with his team behind Les Bleus by eight points in a game that the visitors ultimately lost 35-27 and ending any hope of a league title. Six Nations.
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The second half of Leinster was visibly disappointed to be retired in Paris, shaking his head as he appeared to be looking in the Irish direction.
Although he played down the incident in post-match interviews, speaking to the media ahead of the Fall Nations Cup, Sexton admitted it was an error in judgment.
“(I’m) disappointed in myself with the reaction, to some extent,” he said. “Obviously, if I had known the stories I was going to create and the way it was perceived, obviously I wouldn’t have done it, but you have to take it from my point of view.
“It’s in the heat of the moment, up there with the biggest games I’ve played as captain, and yeah, it’s obviously a low point, and I reacted badly for a fraction of a second. That’s really it.
“I spoke to Andy after the game, I spoke to him on Sunday when I realized it was something so important and we sorted things out. I apologized and said, ‘Look, it shouldn’t have happened.
It’s not the first apology I’ve ever made in my career and it probably won’t be the last.
“He did, it was a split second, and obviously I was disappointed in that sense. But you learn and you really move on. I guess it’s not the first apology I make in my career and it probably won’t be the last.
“We will move on. We have a good relationship and there are no problems moving forward.”
Former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan described the moment as “a surprisingly poor decision”, suggesting it undermined Farrell in the process.
However, the current head coach rejected this and insisted that there is no hard feelings between the pair.
“Not at all. Johnny is a passionate guy and he’s the reason we all love him as a player for the time he’s been at the top of Irish football,” he said, adding that the incident had been exaggerated.
“I suppose there is always a bit of learning from every game you play etc, but no, I don’t feel undermined and neither does the team.
“We need Johnny to be himself and obviously there will always be learnings along the way, but you know, you’re not going to change a person overnight who’s been at the top, doing what they’ve done, because of the intention and attitude you have. “
Meanwhile, James Lowe is one of three named limitless players to Ireland’s 34-man squad as preparation begins for the Guinness Series and Fall Nations Cup matches.
Lowe, who was born in New Zealand, is now eligible to play for Ireland, qualifying to wear the green jersey through World Rugby’s three-year residency rule.
That rule has been extended to five years, but Lowe came to Ireland when the three-year protocol existed.
Lowe’s uncovered trio, Shane Daly and Billy Burns enter the team, while Jack Carty retires.
Ireland will play Wales at home on Friday 13 November and then travel to London to play England at Twickenham on Saturday 21 November.
The following Sunday Ireland will host Georgia at the Aviva Stadium and complete the series of international matches on Saturday 5 December against Fiji, France, Italy or Scotland.
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