Less than five days after being helped from the pitch in pain and obvious distress with a damaged adductor muscle, Johnny Sexton was on Friday named in the starting XV to play Argentina on Sunday. The surprising thing was that the news came as no surprise.
As early as Tuesday, when the Irish list of casualties growing at an alarming rate, the defence coach, Les Kiss, gave the broadest of hints that, given Sunday’s quarter final was knock out rugby and that Ireland had never been further, he would probably be pressed into action.
A day later another assistant coach, Greg Feek, reported that the 30-year-old fly-half had run more than 3kms before a statement from Mick Kearney, the team manager, on Thursday suggested that Ireland would start on Sunday with the same back division that began the brutal pool match with France which brought an end to the Test career of the Irish captain, Paul O’Connell and of the flanker Peter O’Mahony’s World Cup.
On Friday Joe Schmidt, the head coach, added his rubber stamp saying: Sexton “trained fully this morning and we believe he is ready to go,” before suggesting that before kick off on Sundaythere was time for further improvement.
“We don’t take too many risks with injured players,” insisted Schmidt before saying Sexton had eased off on his kicking practice. “He kicked a bit yesterday and he kicked a bit today, but not as much as he usually would.” Only much later did Schmidt add: “He did everything required of an adductor.”
Given that Sexton’s kicking, both tactically and for points is central to Ireland’s game plan, Schmidt’s remarks seemed to suggest that he is giving his play maker as much time as possible to mend before facing a side which has often undermined Ireland.
In 1999 the Pumas announced themselves as a world power by beating Ireland in Lens, the surprise result of that tournament, and repeated their victory eight years later in Paris in a game which saw the end of Ireland’s shambolic campaign and the start of a period of rancour between the sides which included Argentinian allegations of bad sportsmanship and Irish claims of eye gouging.
This time Schmidt’s side face an Argentine side which gave the All Blacks the hurry-up for an hour and which is playing some of the most expansive rugby in its history. They still have a big scrum and an efficient kicking game on to which their coach, Daniel Hourcade, has added an attack which has so far scored 22 tries and registered more points than any other team in the pool stages.
According to Schmidt, who has brought in Iain Henderson for O’Connell, Jordi Murphy for O’Mahony and Chris Henry for the banned flanker Sean O’Brien, Argentina are packed with talent from front to back. “You know this is a good back row when there isn’t room for [Juan Manuel] Leguizamón, even on the bench. And I do fear those back three. Their footwork is incredible.”
There was also time for the Kiwi to dismiss rumours that he had been approached to be England’s next coach. “I don’t know where that come from,” said Schmidt, who has recently signed an extension to his Irish contract.
“Personally I’m a fan of Stuart Lancaster and what he’s trying to do. I enjoy talking to him before and after matches, but I won’t be going after his job.”
Ireland Kearney; Bowe, Earls, Henshaw, Kearney; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best, Ross; Toner, Henderson; Murphy, Henry, Heaslip (capt). Replacements Strauss, McGrath, White, Ryan, Ruddock, Reddan, Madigan, Fitzgerald.
Argentina Tuculet; Cordero, Moroni, Hernández, Imhoff; Sánchez, Landajo; Senatore, Fernández Lobbe, Matera, Lavanini, Petti, Herrera, Creevy (capt), Ayerza. Replacements Montoya, Noguera, Orlandi, Alemanno, Isa, Cubelli, De La Fuente, González Amorosino.
