Johnny Sexton Reflects on His Career Encounters with the All Blacks

Johnny Sexton’s final professional match was a World Cup quarter-final loss to the All Blacks, which occurred last year. “They reflect my career in a lot of ways, they’ve given me some great moments.” Johnny Sexton’s interactions with the All Blacks began and concluded with notably disappointing outcomes, ranging from his debut as a substitute for the final 10 minutes of a 66-28 loss in New Plymouth, to a devastating World Cup quarter-final defeat in his last match as a professional player. Nevertheless, the period between these events included some of his most valued moments in rugby. Sexton played a crucial creative role in Joe Schmidt’s team, which broke Ireland’s 111-year streak without a win against New Zealand in 2016. This victory was particularly satisfying for him, as he believed his missed penalty in 2013 had contributed to a painful last-minute loss when a historic win seemed imminent. Two years later, Sexton continued to wear the number 10 jersey when Ireland celebrated their inaugural home win against the sport’s most renowned team. He also served as captain in 2022 when, under Andy Farrell’s leadership, they secured their first Test series victory on New Zealand soil. Throughout his distinguished international career, Sexton witnessed a complete transformation in the rugby dynamic between the two countries. Historically, the last 10 matches between them have resulted in an even split of five victories for each side. Ireland’s record points scorer informed BBC Sport NI, “I played in New Zealand a lot of times, especially when you consider how few times I played in South Africa, or went to South Africa, never when I was playing rugby.” He added, “The amount of times I played in New Zealand was huge. They reflect my story in many ways, in terms of how the early days playing against them were real eye-opening lessons – how good they were, the intensity they played at, how fit they were and the lessons that I took from that.” Sexton continued, “Being able to come full circle, to be lucky enough to be part of a team that beat them on a few occasions with Ireland and the [British and Irish] Lions, that was very special.” He also stated, “There’s been special encounters and facing the haka has been up there with some of my favourite memories playing international rugby.” The initial triumph at Chicago’s Soldier Field, achieved against an All Blacks team that had secured the previous two World Cups, holds an enduringly significant position in Irish rugby history. For Sexton, these recollections are particularly poignant due to the team’s decision to confront the haka in a figure-of-eight formation in the weeks following the passing of former Irish back-rower Anthony Foley. Sexton remarked, “They were a team that didn’t lose too often. They say themselves, they’re the only team in sport with a 90% win ratio.” He added, “Any time you beat them around then, it was very special.” Sexton further explained, “Lining up in the figure of eight in Chicago so soon after Anthony Foley’s death, that was a moment-in-time kind of situation. We knew we had to step up.” Sexton will observe the rivalry from an altered perspective now. Although he started in each of Ireland’s last 14 matches against the All Blacks, his retirement following last year’s World Cup led to Jack Crowley taking over the number 10 jersey. The 39-year-old Sexton has intermittently served in an unofficial advisory role within the team camp. However, he garnered attention earlier this month when his recently published autobiography recounted his dispute with All Blacks’ centre Rieko Ioane following the conclusion of the World Cup quarter-final in Paris. Despite being theoretically unconstrained by the reluctance of active players to escalate tensions before a significant Test match, Sexton, even in retirement, deliberated extensively on whether to include the passage, which is expected to be discussed again this week. He stated, “I don’t want to create problems for the Irish team.” He further added, “I don’t want to make the game bigger or hype it up in any way. It’s got nothing to do with me any more.” Regarding his decision to discuss the interaction, Sexton merely intended to clarify his reaction after television cameras captured his angry response following the final whistle. He explained, “Like I said, it’s just me explaining [his side of the story], like I do throughout the whole book.” He continued, “At times where people would have perceived me to be a certain way, I just try and explain why I was like that. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, it’s just this is why it happened, this is why I reacted in the way that I did, and that’s it.” Sexton concluded, “I’m not giving out about it, I’m not saying anything about him as a person, I’m saying this is what happened and let’s move on.”