Brian O’Driscoll insists Johnny Sexton won’t fall victim to multitude of distractions

Ireland rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll. Guinness has teamed up with Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll ahead of their ‘Make it a St Patrick’s Day to Remember’ campaign to encourage consumers to try their non-alcoholic beer, with 50,000 free pints of Guinness 0.0 being made available across the island of Ireland over this weekend. Photo: INPHO

David Kelly Twitter Email

March 15 2023 02:30 AM

Brian O’Driscoll knows this last dance.

And yet, as Johnny Sexton prepares for a valedictory Grand Slam send-off in Dublin this weekend, his former team-mate views this farewell differently.

And he doesn’t expect any false steps from his former dancing partner.

The legendary Irish centre did manage to secure the 2014 title in France in his final appearance in green but the finality was such that he dared not remove his jersey until many hours after the final whistle.

For Sexton however, with a Slam on the line and also a personal points record to surpass, this is not a sense of an ending but a hint of even more substantial beginnings as a World Cup hovers into view for this driven 37-year-old and his voracious squad.

“It’s very difficult to compare like for like,” says O’Driscoll, also an owner of a Grand Slam from 2009 when he was captain; Sexton is gunning for his second title, and first as captain.

“Knowing that it was my final game against France, that was going to be it. I’m sure his emotions will be very different at the World Cup, hopefully in the knockout stages, hopefully in the final, depending on what way the result goes.

“You’ve this unbelievable elation and next-level elation for him if they do get to a final and manage to win.

“Without trying to get into his head as to how he’s feeling, I think in your final year when you know it’s the end, for all of the lasts, there’s an extra dimension to the games. There’s an extra thought about wanting to sign off, particularly for a competitive game in the Aviva, with a Grand Slam at stake.

“You don’t need to hype it any more, you really don’t. This is everything you would have hoped for in closing out a Six Nations career, an opportunity to take the record from ROG (Ronan O’Gara), and captain our first Grand Slam finishing in Dublin. All of that takes over from any personal emotions you might have.”

Anxiety may jostle with tingling excitement but Sexton’s temperament will, O’Driscoll insists, overcome any potential pitfalls.

“I don’t think it comes into his head. He’s been there and done it. He’s a pretty cool customer.

“This team is a real process team so I think they just back themselves in what they’re doing and that will look after the result at the end.

“Not think about trophy lifts, or laps of honour or any of that stuff, the stuff that will transpire if you get all the other parts right.

“For them this week, it’s genuinely about doing a good day each day and then letting rip on Saturday.

“Just because there’s a big game, a game of big magnitude, you can’t change your habits, you can’t change what you do. If anything, you revert to what is tried and tested and what brought them to this point.”

Fundamental principles apply; this is their field and they will not want their record 15-game streak on home soil spoiled by any team.

The rivalry with England, once anachronistically viewed through the prism of ancient history, is viewed now through a professional prism.

Despite English humiliation against France, their wounds may prompt injurious revenge.

“Rugby can be strange,” says O’Driscoll. “You can be top of the world but the emotion that comes with playing scared is pretty strong too. It’s rare enough that an England team would be coming to Ireland thinking that way off the back of the result they’ve had.

“But it can be galvanising, it can really spur you on to a different level of performance, which is what they’re going to need.

“Even Steve Borthwick talked during the week about the gap between them and the top teams is significant and I don’t think he’s underplaying it, I do think there’s a gap at the moment.

“They’re absolutely a team in transition and Ireland will be strong favourites, but with a few injuries, particularly at hooker, and the necessity for England to finish the game with a proper performance to kind of save face from last week, that will bridge the gap.”

O’Driscoll references 2011, when England were denied a Slam in Dublin, in reflecting the ultimate importance of home advantage.

“Your record at home is always proud and the last thing you want to do is to be beaten at home, irrespective of the circumstances and what your tournament might look like.

“You obviously want to be playing for one yourself, but the last thing you want to do is roll over for someone else to win one on your home track.

“And then England coming to town is always great hype anyway. So it is about playing one of the better teams in the competition more often than not and getting a good victory against them rather than holding on to the history of Ireland-England games.

“I’m not saying that’s dead and buried but that’s more associated with the general public than with the team.

“I think they have moved on from all that to the point where England have been a great side historically for the last 25 years and even when they’re not great they’re still decent and they can still cause an upset.

“So there is a wariness when England come to town that you have to be on your game and this weekend will be no different so it didn’t take over our week, far from it.

“You are trying to put your own performance together and if you do deny a team a trophy or a Grand Slam it is because you have performed well and the focus is on you rather than them.”