Ireland legend Johnny Sexton has opened up on the outcry which followed the release of extracts from his new book.
Excerpts from the former fly-half’s autobiography Obsessed, which will be released on October 10, were made public recently.
In one of those passages, Sexton discussed the final match of his career, which ended in disappointing fashion as Andy Farrell’s men succumbed 28-24 to the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
At the end of the game, the Irish icon was seen giving Ioane a verbal spray and he revealed in his book what exactly was said.
What sparked it all
“And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at [referee Wayne] Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, ‘Get back ten metres’,” Sexton wrote.
“‘Huh?’
“‘Penalty,’ he says. ‘Back ten.’ And then, after Barnes blows the final whistle, he says, ‘Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c***.’
“So much for the All Blacks’ famous ‘no d***heads’ policy. So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f****r. It doesn’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.”
Johnny Sexton v Rieko Ioane and rugby’s most infamous chirps, trash talk and sledges ever
That caused quite the furore in New Zealand with Ioane among those to respond, doubling down on that World Cup incident and taunting him once again.
The All Blacks centre posted a picture of him and Sexton on Instagram, and The Cranberries song ‘Zombie’ – Ireland’s unofficial anthem at the global tournament – playing in the background, with the lyric ‘in your head’ being constantly repeated.
Ireland’s former playmaker has now had a chance to react to the outcry after appearing on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly.
Sexton’s explanation
Sexton admitted that he was “shocked by the reaction” – which included Ioane’s post – and explained why he mentioned the incident in his book.
“I do care, like I do care [what people think and say],” he said.
“But the most important is, like you said, your teammates or the people in your country.
“I was a bit shocked by the reaction to that because I toyed with taking it out, putting it in, but the reason I put it in was not giving out like, this is just what happened.
“A certain part of me was just trying to protect because I got criticised after the game for my reaction, because people thought, ‘Oh, here’s your man being a sore loser again.’ But they didn’t see what set me off.
“It was just me explaining why.
“I remember texting Joe [Schmidt] after the game and I said: ‘Look, I know it looked bad me chasing your man after the final whistle but this is what happened, I’m sorry for my reaction.’
“That’s the only reason I put it in. I didn’t do it to kick things off… I don’t really mind that it happened, you know what I mean, this is just why I reacted.
“That’s why, through the book really, it’s sort of just explaining at that moment, this is what I thought.”
READ MORE: ‘In your head’ – Rieko Ioane taunts Johnny Sexton as All Blacks star brutally hits back at Ireland legend
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2024-10-09 14:30:41
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