Johnny Sexton has conceded that there will be no fairytale swansong with Leinster and given further details about the next chapter of his life when he retires from the sport at the end of the World Cup
The 37-year-old Ireland captain will miss the end of the domestic season as he recovers from groin surgery, which he underwent in late March following Ireland's Guinness Six Nations win over England.
The out-half, capped six times by the Lions, announced his intention to quit following this autumn's RWC in France in March of last year but declined to detail what exactly the next step would be.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Late Late Show in February, Sexton admitted that he was "dreading" the thoughts of leaving the sport, which has seen him capped 113 times for Ireland, while making 189 appearances for Leinster and 40 for Racing 92.
It was revealed recently that Sexton had been booked in for a speaking engagement just two days before the final of the URC, which top seeds Leinster are firm favourites to reach, on 27 March, an admission that despite the province’s initial medical update leaving the door open for some involvement, the timeline is too tight.
"It’s a bit upsetting to miss out with Leinster," Sexton told the Sunday Times on the weekend that Leo Cullen’s side booked a Heineken Champions Cup semi-final date with Toulouse by beating Leicester, where Sexton was pictured with crutches in the stand.
"People say, 'you’ve still got the World Cup’ and that’s true, please God.
"What I wanted to get across was that in a sense, playing for Leinster meant as much as playing for Ireland, or almost as much."
Johnny Sexton is in the stands at the Aviva and in recovery mode. He underwent surgery on a groin issue just after Ireland's victory over England on 18 March https://t.co/2aqrEpQxVU #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/y2URpnxvEd
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) April 7, 2023
With Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster moving to Racing 92 at the end of this season, there would have been an opening on the backroom staff for the four-time Champions Cup winner to move into coaching, while his unique insights would be coveted by any media outlet, but Sexton has decided a clean break, for now, is the right option.
A LinkedIn profile states that, as well as being a rugby player for Leinster and Ireland, he is also "Commercial Manager" at Ardagh Group, a supplier of sustainable glass and metal packaging.
"It’s already been good for me," he said of his experience so far with the company.
"I remember having a work call on the Friday afternoon before we played New Zealand last November and the distraction was definitely beneficial.
"It could have been about a contract with a customer, sustainability issues, procurement, buying energy, raw materials, about the manufacturing of bottles or cans. It’s all new to me and that’s good."
Ireland will play Italy and England in the Aviva Stadium in World Cup warm-ups in August but the Grand Slam-clinching win will be Sexton’s last competitive action in Ireland.
Immediately following a vain attempt to stop an England maul towards the end of the match, Sexton was withdrawn and solely concerned with trying to get a recovery timeline from the team doctor, somewhat oblivious to the incredible response from the crowd.
"I feel bad because I didn’t really acknowledge the reception I got," he said. "I watched it back on TV. It’s mad how you can be so distracted.
"I didn’t realise the enormity of it because I was so obsessed with asking the doc about how long I’d be out post-op.
"Ciaran [Cosgrave] was just looking at me gobsmacked, as if to say, ‘we can sort that out tomorrow, Johnny'. I just wanted to know if I’d get any of the season with Leinster. I kind of let a very special moment pass over me."
