Former Leinster and Irish out-half Johnny Sexton has urged Irish players Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley to delete their social media posts but said he is not sure if the No. 10s heeded his advice. The selection battle between Munster’s Crowley and Leinster’s Prendergast has divided opinion along provincial lines and with the two fly-halves set to compete for the starting jersey once more in the upcoming two-Test Ireland tour to Georgia and Portugal.
Their mentor believes the protagonists should be given equal backing by all. Sexton, who is a full-time assistant to Andy Farrell in the Ireland set-up following his British & Irish Lions duties this summer in Australia, said of the Irish number 10s, “Well, I have worked closely with them through the Six Nations and I’ve done a couple of sessions with them beyond the Six Nations and Jack and Sam are remarkable talents, with huge futures ahead of them. The life of a 10 is up and down. No matter what player you look at over the years, they have had periods where they have been amazing, they have had periods when they have not been. They are humble guys, they do want to learn, they want to practice hard and that’s the thing that you look at the most as a coach. You look at the attitude and how humble they are because ultimately that’s what will stand to them going forward.
Sexton continued, “One thing I disagree with is some of the narrative around it in terms of there’s obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster-Leinster and I’ve been there before. I have been in that situation and with social media getting bigger and bigger it’s tough on them at times and it shouldn’t be like that. We should be supporting whoever’s picked and getting fully behind them.”
Assistant coach Johnny Sexton during British & Irish Lions Squad Training in Perth, Australia. [Inpho/Billy Stickland]
The former Ireland captain has also has made his feelings clear on his old team Leinster’s decision to sign his All Black nemesis Rieko Loane next season. The two have had a very public feud since Ioane mocked Sexton in the minutes after New Zealand knocked Ireland out of the 2023 World Cup, with the Sexton detailing the exchange in his book “Obsessed,” which was published weeks before the All Blacks played in Dublin last year. Last week, he joked: “I purchased my Munster season ticket last week.’’
