Jonny Sexton, Ireland's newest star, talks John O'Sullivan through his autumn series and that performance against South Africa in The Irish Times.
"He learned of his inclusion for the Springbok game from Ronan O’Gara who generously came to his erstwhile rival to give him a “heads up” prior to the team announcement. “Ronan told me, explained that Deccie had told him (O’Gara) that he would not be starting. He told me there was no point in keeping it secret. He was really professional and helpful in the build-up to the game and if and when the circumstances change I would hope to be the same. When playing for Ireland it’s important to put your rivalries aside. I think Paulie (O’Connell) summed it up best when saying that when the provinces play it’s like competing with your brother. The last person in the world you’d want to lose to is your brother.
“That rivalry is put aside when come together for Ireland. There is a tremendous spirit and camaraderie. I rang my dad (Gerry) and his reaction was ‘oh, Jesus Christ, you’re not starting, are you?’ He gets more nervous than me. I certainly didn’t expect it, especially when you consider all that Rog has done for Ireland in the big matches. Declan had faith in me and I had to repay that.”
"Sexton got a text from Felipe Contepomi on the eve of the game. His one-time mentor at Leinster reminded him that the most important thing was to trust his instincts and to do the right thing for the team. The team was everything and that individual aspirations take second place.
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