JOHNNY SEXTON’S broken jaw is the culmination of what has been to date a pretty miserable move to the outskirts of Paris and Racing Metro. The money may have been good but the Lions fly-half’s move from Leinster to Metro has to rank as the most amateurish decision he has made in an outstanding career.
It was a rank amateur move because Sexton must have seen the way this club approaches the game. Racing Metro is a side packed with stars but their brand of rugby is a dull, slow-moving weather front, all cloud and drizzle. The game is a grind with lumpy forwards deciding where and when Sexton receives the ball. Last season he was overplayed and because of the static style of the team, he underperformed. The news that he will return to Dublin next season comes not a moment too soon with the World Cup on the horizon.
Ireland needs their fly-half to be fresh and stimulated, not jaded with a broken jaw and in a race against time to be fit for the autumn internationals. The financial rewards may be great but all the money in the world will not give Sexton a second crack at being one of the great Irish fly-halves, and two years of misery in France is not his route to the stars.
There is a clear warning here for players who are lured by the riches on offer. The exception seems to be Toulon where the size of the squad and the host of magnificent professionals nearing the end of their careers breed an environment where excellence is expected. Steffon Armitage has thrived playing alongside men such as Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Juan Smith. Whether he would have fared quite so well at Racing Metro, where Dan Lydiate has struggled, is quite some other matter.
French rugby is glamorous but it is gruelling and it can be agonising attrition to watch let alone play in. The atmosphere eclipses the quality more often than not. But the wage bill waves all those worries aside. A sportsman has only a finite time and thus the decision to take the French riches is understandable, but there is a flip side that brings me back to Sexton and areté, the search for excellence for its own sake. When he ignited the Leinster backline he played as if he and Brian O’ Driscoll were searching for perfection itself as they wove their magic. He doesn’t have long to bank those achievements and memories.
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Leigh Halfpenny will thrive when he recovers from injury. Toulon’s fans will take him to their heart and with plenty of goals to be kicked and Mat Giteau to inspire the backline his underrated running skills will come into their own. Cardiff Blues are set for an improved season but it would have to be one of the most stunning improvements in the history of club rugby to make the move seem anything but a good one for the Welshman.
The same, however, might not be said for Jonathan Davies, the outstanding former Scarlets centre. His team may have lacked the power to challenge for trophies but they played with a fluency that suited his game at outside-centre. Until last year, Clermont would have been a wonderful fit but the signs are that he has joined a team in transition.
Already beaten at home, their massive mental frailties could cause an implosion with Davies left to pick up pieces and play with scraps. Mike Phillips has not made a success of his French move and Jamie Roberts has made minimal impact (although his club form has never matched his international efforts.) The pay day is a guarantee in France but don’t count on a glittering career.
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