By scoring a try in the 38th minute against Tonga, Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton did not lack panache to break a record and become the player with the highest number of points in the jersey on Saturday in Nantes. Irish, dethroning Ronan O’Gara (1,083 points).
Aged 38, 115 caps, Sexton entered the rugby legend a little further on Saturday and a huge clamor resounded in the Beaujoire stadium when the Irish opener scored the try under the posts (38th), which he himself transformed and which allowed the Irish to win the offensive bonus point in the first half. Sexton scored sixteen points in the first half, bringing his total in the green jersey to 1,090 points (Ireland leading 31-13 at halftime).
“It will be a special moment on an individual level, but no one else cares. I won’t make decisions with that in mind. I want to win the match, advance in the competition. It’s the only thing on my mind at the moment,” Sexton explained Thursday during a press conference in Nantes, when asked about the subject. In March, the iconic Leinster flyhalf had already overtaken “ROG” as the Irish player with the most points in the Six Nations tournament.
Sexton, a player with a strong character, a good attacker and solid defender, a great scorer, has an impressive record: four European Cups with Leinster, four Tournaments with Ireland (2014, 2015, 2018, 2023), including two Majors. Slams (2018, 2023), a World Player of the Year trophy in 2018 and Ireland’s first victorious Test series in New Zealand (2022). On the other hand, he has never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage in the World Cup.
Injured in his adductor muscles in March during the last day of the Six Nations Tournament, then suspended for three matches for his behavior during the Champions Cup final, Sexton made his comeback last week during the Irish victory against Romania (82 -8).
