There were plenty of faces you couldn’t miss as the Lions assembled for the first time, with London the venue of the initial meet-and-greet. David Nucifora was one – a penny for his thoughts on the week the IRFU scrapped the men’s Sevens programme he invested so heavily in.
Johnny Sexton was another. Less than a year into his coaching career he continues to hold Andy Farrell’s trust to the extent he joins fellow Ireland assistants Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty on the Lions ticket.
When announcing his squad earlier this month Farrell said that Sexton’s role would be kicking and skills – akin to Neil Jenkins in times gone by. Yet we still haven’t had much of a window into Sexton the coach, what he’s like to work with.
That was until James Lowe was asked about his former team-mate and, clearly based on his answer, good friend. Has Sexton the coach changed much from Sexton the player?
“He’s scary as anything still, he’s so intense, man,” quipped Lowe. “I’ve never met a man who’s constantly so intense. It’s funny cus [Manchester] United aren’t doing too flash at the moment, he’s United till he dies. Just sledge him about that.”
On a more serious note Lowe agrees with his boss Farrell in terms of what Sexton brings to the table. “He’s a great lad with a wealth of knowledge, a few tours under his belt,” said the wing.
Farrell himself has previously asked why wouldn’t he lean on Sexton’s experience when justifying the decision to pick someone with such little coaching experience. Thankfully Lowe went into more detail, offering a look at how Sexton operates on a day-to-day basis on the training paddock.
“When he was with Ireland he mainly worked with the 10s and the kickers,” he said. “I would work in with him there. He’s so harsh in how he tries to prepare you for a game, makes you understand the context of what’s going to happen if you don’t get things right. In terms of kicking, poor kicks can just feed backlines.
“Off the top of my head kicking a ball to [Blair] Kinghorn and Duhan [van der Merwe], it’s not smart. You want to get that ball off, even Darcy Graham on the other side. He just puts things into context.
“I know he does a few bits goal-kicking with the 60-second timer. Sometimes he’ll literally roll a ball 20, 30 metres, make the boys go and get the ball and put it on the tee. The clock’s started.
“He’s got an aura about him which I’m sure you’ve all experienced. It’s not nice when he’s screaming at you, you want to get on his good side.”
The good-natured ribbing didn’t stop there. Cue jokes about no one being surprised that Sexton couldn’t stay away from the game for long, an initial part-time role with Ireland turning into a Lions gig and a full-time IRFU position within 18 months of retiring. Jamison Gibson-Park, Sexton’s former halfback partner, quipped that we “can’t shake him”.
As for Lowe, he also recalled the day he lined out against the Lions for the Maori All Blacks in 2017. The touring side won 32-10.
“They blew us off the park in terms of intensity, basics of the game, ferocity at the breakdown, scraps, any loose ball,” said Lowe, who recalls lining out alongside future Leinster team-mate Rieko Ioane in the Maori backfield.
“To be honest we were beaten off the park that day. It was an introduction into what it actually meant for the boys to play for the Lions. A level of intensity that was unmatched.”
