Jonathan Sexton’s right hamstring could become an object of obsession in Ireland over the next few months, such is his importance to the burgeoning national team, and yesterday the medical bulletin provided positive news, with confirmation that the fly half will be fit to face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
For all the qualities exhibited in the victory over England in Dublin, Sexton’s presence will strengthen Ireland’s hopes of maintaining their unbeaten record in the RBS Six Nations Championship. “He kicked a couple of balls on Sunday, did a little bit more yesterday and more again today,” Richie Murphy, the Ireland kicking coach, said yesterday. “He trained fully and was running at 100 per cent. He will be ready for the weekend.”
Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach, insisted that his side would not have any particular plans for Sexton, but recognised the extent to which the fly half’s partnership with Conor Murray has developed and the challenge it poses to his own half backs.
“The combination with Murray and Sexton is outstanding,” Gatland said. “They feed off each other in terms of what they bring to the game. It’s an exceptional half-back combination, a huge challenge to Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar, two half backs we feel have improved and who I hope will rise to the challenge placed on them.”
Gatland, whose side were beaten 26-3 in Dublin last year, had particular praise for Murray, whom he used as a replacement for the Lions in the second and third internationals of their series victory over Australia in 2013.
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“He’s come on leaps and bounds, he’s a real threat,” the New Zealander said. “If I look back on the Lions tour, he was one of the most improved players on it, and if there had been a fourth international he would have been pushing for a start.”
The game at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday will bring together two of the teams retaining hopes of winning the Six Nations title, Wales having recovered from their opening defeat at home to England with away victories over Scotland and France. For their return to Cardiff, Gatland has retained the starting line-up that he employed in Paris,
Gatland also expressed surprise yesterday at a post on the Twitter account of Brett Gosper, the chief executive of World Rugby, who had indicated that an early World Cup exit for England — from a pool that also includes Wales and Australia — would not be welcomed by the game’s governing body. “England fail to exit pool in World Cup... not the words we want to hear during #RWC2015” Gosper had tweeted.
“I think the head of World Rugby doesn’t need to be doing that,” Gatland said. “If England are guaranteed to be one of the sides going through, I hope we are the other team.”
Wales team
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L Halfpenny (Toulon); G North (Northampton Saints), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Racing Métro), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing Métro), A W Jones (Ospreys), D Lydiate (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, captain), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons). Replacements: R Hibbard (Gloucester), R Evans (Scarlets), A Jarvis (Ospreys), J Ball (Scarlets), J Tipuric (Ospreys), M Phillips (Racing Métro), R Priestland (Scarlets), S Williams (Scarlets).