Despite his absence for forthcoming warm-up games against Italy, England and Samoa, Robbie Henshaw has backed his Leinster and Ireland team-mate Johnny Sexton to be locked and loaded for the start of the Rugby World Cup in France.
Without a competitive game since the Grand Slam clincher over England on March 18th at the Aviva Stadium, Sexton is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after an independent disciplinary committee handed him a three-match suspension at the end of last week.
That followed an incident that took place in the wake of Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle in May, when the injured skipper remonstrated with referee Jaco Peyper and his match officials on the pitch at the end of the game.
Having acknowledged Sexton’s admittance of misconduct – and taken into account a submission from Ireland head coach Andy Farrell that his captain would have featured in the warm-up Tests if available for selection – it was determined that Sexton’s ban will be confined to the upcoming August window.
While this will leave him short of match practice in advance of Ireland’s World Cup Pool B opener with Romania in Bordeaux on September 9th, Henshaw remains confident that Sexton can hit the ground running.
“I’d back him all day, to be honest, to step into a game. He’s been training the house down. I know it’s not full contact when we’re training, but he hasn’t lost that sharpness. That vision or his kicking,” Henshaw remarked from the IRFU’s High Performance Centre on Thursday.
“He’s been exceptional in training leading the group, so I suppose the only thing for a player coming back from a long-term injury is the contacts. Over the next few weeks he’ll get a taste for that. That’s the main thing when you’re coming back. That full-on, 100 per cent contact.”
Given there was all of 57 days between the Champions Cup final and his eventual suspension, Sexton had a long wait before discovering whether or not his World Cup swansong was going to be in jeopardy. There was also a fear that it could become a distraction for the rest of Farrell’s squad, but Henshaw insisted this wasn’t the case.
“We knew it was going on in the background. Nobody had an idea of what was going to come of it. I think everyone was on the same page. Luckily we had our hands full with training and meetings so it was always going on in the background. Thankfully nobody got too distracted by it.
“It’s unfortunate that Johnny won’t be there for the home games in particular. That’s probably the most disappointing thing for him and for us. For him to play in the Aviva is a big thing, but I suppose looking at it, it’s great that we have him for the World Cup.”
It is certainly a relief for all those involved in the Ireland set-up to know that Sexton will be free to lead his country out at his fourth and final World Cup.
This current crop of Irish men’s players are seeking to become the first to advance beyond the quarter-final stage of the tournament. Their success in the Six Nations Championship during the spring has increased expectations around the team and Henshaw is hoping the August warm-ups can put them in the right frame of mind for France.
“I think being able to deal with the pressure that we’ll be facing and being able to stay calm under pressure [are crucial]. We’ll keep working and building and the warm-up games will test us in that sense. We’ll use that as a starter,” Henshaw added.
