Johnny Sexton was speaking exclusively to #OTBAM. To watch the full 20-minute interview with the Rugby World Player of the Year, be sure to tune into Wednesday's #OTBAM from 7:45 on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or YouTube.
After finishing 2018 on hitherto unscaled heights for Irish rugby, World Player of the Year Johnny Sexton admits that a slow start to 2019 has come as something of a surprise to the Ireland team.
"If you'd seen us in training last week," Sexton stated in conversation with OTB AM, "you'd have thought we were going to go over to Italy and set the world alight."
Identified as the most straight-forward fixture in Ireland's attempt to retain the Six Nations, although a bonus-point win in Rome brought the right end result for Joe Schmidt's side, the manner of its execution left a little to be desired.
Coming as it did on the back of a cagey win against Scotland in Murrayfield and that opening round defeat to England in Dublin, Sexton did not shy away from the fact that Ireland have yet to pick up where they left off with that famous defeat of New Zealand.
"We thought we were at a stage where we didn't need to learn lessons through adversity," Sexton stated.
The Marker Hotel, Dublin, Aer Lingus Johnny Sexton Media Day 26/2/2019Johnny Sexton
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
"We thought we could do it while winning, but sometimes you need a harsh reality and we're getting that at the moment."
Far from being overly consumed with this downturn, Sexton is keen to remind fans that there is still a Six Nations championship to be won, and, despite any suggestion of an irredeemable demise, they have in fact only lost one game.
Yet, after the highs of last year the Leinster man does suggest that "no one is as frustrated as us."
Pinpointing reasons why Ireland are not currently "firing on all cylinders," Johnny Sexton remained cautious.
"There are reasons," he noted, "[but] I'm not going to come out and explain them all."
"They'll just look like excuses from us.
"We just need to be better and that's the bottom line. "
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Johnny Sexton was speaking exclusively to #OTBAM. To watch the full 20-minute interview with the Rugby World Player of the Year, be sure to tune into Wednesday's #OTBAM from 7:45 on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or YouTube.
Aer Lingus, the official airline of the Irish Rugby team, is the Smart Choice for Irish rugby supporters this Six Nations Championship as it helps bring ‘Home Advantage’ wherever we play. Johnny Sexton is backing the campaign which recognises the bond between fans and the team and the unwavering passion supporters display making any venue feel like a home game.
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