Sexton unsurprised by Lions’ record Irish contingent

Johnny Sexton says he was not surprised to see a record number of Ireland players selected in the British and Irish Lions squad, but accepts “everyone has their own opinion”.

Lions head coach Andy Farrell, who has also been Ireland boss since 2019, picked 15 in his initial 38-man squad for the Australia tour and last week called up Connacht prop Finlay Bealham following Zander Fagerson’s injury.

When asked about the strong Ireland contingent – 12 Leinster players, three from Connacht and one from Munster – Sexton pointed to the national team’s form in recent years.

“Well, Ireland have done pretty well over the last few years, having won the [Six Nations] championship last year, the Grand Slam the year before, so you’re probably looking over the last three years,” said the former Ireland captain, who is a kicking coach in Farrell’s Lions backroom team.

“With some players, coaches would look at form over eight, nine years. It’s not just if you’ve played well in a couple of games in the Six Nations, you can’t force your way in, but sometimes you take a bigger picture look with players.

“They know the way Andy coaches, they know the system. It didn’t surprise me because historically, let’s say when there was a Welsh coach and the Welsh team did well, there were the majority of the Welsh team.

When asked if he could understand why people would question the number of Ireland players in the squad, Sexton said “everyone has their own opinion”, which is the “beauty of sport”.

“You can go through the players and think ‘well who are you talking about that you wouldn’t have picked?’ because for me in terms of the last three or four years they have performed well,” added the two-time Lions tourist.

“Sometimes you can be swayed by how the Six Nations finished. The first game, Ireland against England, it was a great performance and that comes into consideration.

“With Andy, I’ve never seen such a thorough process with all the combinations and the amount of players that were considered and talked about.

Having retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Sexton took a job in the commercial sector before returning to the Ireland set-up as a part-time coach for last year’s autumn internationals and this year’s Six Nations, a role he “loved”.

In April, he “jumped at” the chance to join Farrell’s Lions backroom team and take a full-time role with the Irish Rugby Football Union after the tour to Australia.

Now, after a year outside of rugby, he feels he is “where I should be” after admitting “deep down” he always wanted to give coaching a try.

And while some Irish coaches have opted to cut their teeth abroad – Ronan O’Gara in France, for example – Sexton said working abroad has never appealed to him.

“I want to be in Ireland, but I’ve got to concentrate on the here and now,” he said.

“That’s ultimately how I made the decision. I have to make myself happy in the here and now and not worry about the future. If it [the IRFU role] is only for two years, it’s only for two years.

As part of his Lions role, Sexton – who was a key member of the successful 2013 tour to Australia – will work closely with fly-halves Finn Russell, Marcus Smith and Fin Smith.

“There’s a little bit of everything really. It depends on what person you’re working with, what form they’re in, if they need help or if they’re in a good place.

“The first week’s been getting to know Marcus and Fin Smith. I don’t think I played against Fin but I played against Marcus a couple of times.

“They’re remarkable, talented, great characters, great people, I’ve got to know that over the first week. I’m looking forward to working with them.”

The Lions face Argentina at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday (20:00 BST) in their pre-tour send-off fixture.

The 15-strong cohort of Bath, Leicester and Leinster players who were involved in Saturday’s Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals linked up with the squad for Monday’s training at University College Dublin.