Johnny Sexton: Ireland’s guts against Springboks a 'massive reference point'
Michael Bolton
With the November series ending with a hectic defeat to world champions South Africa, it was a mixed period for Ireland - and one Johnny Sexton says he took a lot away from.
In a game where Ireland were reduced to 12 men at one point, South Africa were dominant 24-13 winners, their power at the scrum too much for Ireland to handle.
James Ryan received a 20-minute red card, while Jack Crowley, Sam Prendergast, Andrew Porter, and Paddy McCarthy all picked up yellow cards.
In what was a difficult day, Sexton was proud of how Ireland stayed in the game until the very end and adapted to an array of difficult situations.
"Saturday's game in particular will be a massive reference point for us in terms of us playing South Africa this time next year again.
"To see the team, how much they can improve and evolve, it'll be great for us to see.
"I'm sure South Africa will come back, and it'll be a great match for us to say, 'look how far we've come in these 12 months'."
Sexton said the side's guts and determination were on display.
"It’s something that we’ve been referencing and something that the lads showed. Unbelievable fight, problem-solving, just guts. I was proud on Saturday after the game in terms of being associated with that group of men.”
South Africa's first win in Ireland in 13 years further cemented its status as the best team in the world.
Sexton denied suggestions that South Africa came to humiliate Ireland.
"The only time they would be humiliated is if you throw in the towel or you pack it in.
I don't think there was any humiliation in what the lads produced on Saturday
"I don't think there was any humiliation in what the lads produced on Saturday, for sure, because there was no lack of effort.
"There was sometimes a smartness in terms of some of the penalties that we gave away. And some inaccuracies in some parts of our game, which we need to get better at.
"No, I wouldn't see any embarrassment there for sure.
"They made no secret of the fact that they wanted to come here and target this game.
"No [I don’t think there will be scars]. In my eyes, it's a one-off.
"That's never happened to our scrum before.
"I know we've got good people involved in that department, and a lot of work is being done there, so they'll come up with solutions, they'll come up with fixes."
Since retirement in 2023, coaching wasn't initially a priority for Sexton.
In Ireland's first game without the former fly-half, he showed his coaching instinct.
"I remember the first game, the French away game in Marseille, not knowing what the plan was, not knowing what the plays were.
"My family were watching it together, and I just kept pausing and rewinding.
After about 20 minutes, he said his wife Laura turned to watching the game on her phone.
After a year away, Sexton was brought into the coaching team in November 2024, and his role has become permanent.
Despite saying in his autobiography that he did not have an interest in coaching, he was not able to stay away from the sport for too long.
"I planned to get away from the game and create a new me and do all the things that I had sort of set out to do.
"For lots of different reasons, I ended up being back here. But, at the time that I wrote the book, that is what was going through my head.
"They say you should never tell anyone your plans, that is probably for those reasons why!"
When Sexton broke into the Ireland set-up in 2009, competition was fierce between him and Ronan O'Gara, in what was a tense few years.
With provincial rivalries contributing to the battle for the Ireland 10 jersey, a similar situation is ongoing at fly-half for Ireland.
Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast have a far more friendly competition, and Sexton admitted there is little to separate the two fly-halves, as he said they must focus on themselves.
"You got to just get rid of a lot of the distraction and a lot of the noise and focus on yourself, really.
"You can't control the narrative, and you can't control selection in many ways.
"It's pretty thin in terms of selection, in terms of, like, it's pretty close between a lot of the 10s and, you know, and he's trying to balance form and all that with trying to make sure everyone's ready for a World Cup in two years."
