JONATHAN SEXTON ENTERED his contract negotiations with the IRFU hoping for a four-year contract that would keep him with Leinster, the team he won three Heineken Cups with, until he was 32.
The outhalf, who made his Leinster debut in January 2006, grew frustrated at the stalling nature of the negotiations and, he tells TheScore.ie, felt his only option was to stick to his guns and seek a move abroad in an effort to gain a generous contract he felt his skills deserved. The move to Racing Metro in the French Top 14 has officially gone through and Sexton, as the league’s highest paid player, will ply his rugby trade in Paris next season.
Making the switch from his home province to Racing was a wrench ‘of course’, says Sexton, and was both a tough and a strange decision. He said, “I love Leinster but the people that are involved [with contract negotiations] are not involved with Leinster. I don’t deal with Leinster even if, like, they want to keep you for four years.
The IRFU, obviously, have a different plan to Leinster and myself and, listen, that’s fine. I’ve no hard feelings towards them. They made the decision. They didn’t rate me as highly as I rated myself, maybe. There was something in the relationship there, where we didn’t see eye to eye. I said that I was going to do something if something else wasn’t done and I stuck to my word. It’s never an easy thing.”
“You’ve got a short career,” Sexton added, “and I’m never one for looking only at the contract side of things; there’s a bigger picture. At the same time, you’re an injury away [from possible retirement] and, the longer the negotiations went on, the more eager I was to get something done and sorted out. I felt there was a fantastic opportunity in front of me even though, at the time, I was very sad to leave.
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“Like I’ve said, it’s a chance to experience a different culture, a different language. Hopefully I love it and hopefully I can achieve success with Racing. That will be my goal when I get there, to win the Bouclier de Brennus [Top 14] and the H-Cup, as they call it, with my new team, when they become my new team.
“But all my energies are going towards Leinster at the moment. They’re a club that gave me so much and I want to finish on a high with them.”
Sexton the Lion
Sexton hopes to start the First Test against Australia on 22 June. (Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland)
If Leinster can defeat a dangerous Glasgow Warriors side at the RDS on Saturday, Sexton and his teammates will be in the Pro12 Final on 25 May. One week later, the British & Irish Lions play the Barbarians in Hong Kong. As the 27-year-old and Owen Farrell, who may feature for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership Final on 25 May, are the only two Lions outhalves, both should feature against the Baa Baa’s.
“It’s a dream come true,” he told TheScore.ie, “I’m absolutely delighted. I found out like everyone else did, on TV. I actually went for kicking practice, as I always do on my day off, and I got a call from [Leinster skills coach] Richie Murphy and he said ‘You’re in’. It was a good way to find out.
It was always a dream of mine to play for the Lions. Hopefully, after a big end to the season with Leinster, I can become a winning Lion. You don’t see too many of them knocking around. You have legends in Ireland like Brian and Paul that haven’t got there yet. Hopefully, if I can get picked for the [Test] series, I’ll play a big part in achieving that goal.”
Former Lions such as Jeremy Guscott, David Wallace and Stuart Barnes have tipped the Dubliner to start the First Test against Australia, on 22 June, but he is refusing to look too far ahead. Sexton said, “There’s one thing about getting on the plane but how you play on the Lions tour will determine who gets the Lions jersey for the First Test. It is nice to be mentioned [as a starter] but we’re still two months away from the First Test and a month away from our first game.”
“From my point of view,” said Sexton, “I’m looking forward to working with Owen and if Jonny comes out that will be a massive bonus. I’ve always admired him as a rugby player and a person; getting the chance to work with him for five or six weeks, I’d love it.”
Play twice the number of games for 310K more and loose out on advertising revenue; it may not be as good a move as he thinks if it end his career prematurely. IRFU cannot out bid the french team anymore than the welsh could. There are options for Leinster and Ireland at 10 so why would they have offered him more. He’s a good player but possibly made look a lot better by having darcy and bod beside him, only time will tell. On the sporting/career side I don’t see him getting as many medals with racing either; 3/4th in france and maybe a few HC semis. He has to rate himself highly but if this only extends to the weekly paycheck then he’ll get on great with the rest of the racing guys!
It’s sad to see that despite countless people who are not even from these shores describing him as the best out half in the Northern hemisphere the IRFU fail to see his importance to Irish rugby.
I think they tried to call his bluff. Fair play to him. Go and take the leap that a lot of irish lads won’t do for fear of jeopardizing their international careers.
An absolute disgrace the way he (and others) are treated when it comes to contracts. Shocking that Leinster will now lose the best out half in the Northern hemisphere and thus commence our decline as the best team in Europe over the past 5 yrs…. They clearly don’t even understand business as well as true rugby… Typical of us as a nation… Anyway allez les blues!!
4 years really but who’s counting?! It’s sad to lose such a good player and manager in the same season. Ye had a good run though and ye’ll rise again I reckon
We have Madigan Oisin who has really hit form. With Sexton gone he can develop into a better player with more match experience so don’t worry the only reservation I have is over this new coach.
Fair play to him. A rugby player has a short career that can be cut shorter again at any moment. They don’t get the obscene wages of their soccer star counterparts so they have to do right by themselves and their families. As for the IRFU, what they did is just another calamitous error to add to the list made by various sporting organisations in this country. If you have the best out half in this hemisphere, and in my opinion the 2nd best on the planet, you do everything in your power to hang on to him.
there is simply limited funds available to irfu to pay wages.
didn’t value me as much as I value myself, translation would not match what I could get in France, best of luck to him but o Driscoll o gara and others had similar options and choose loyalty to province over cash available elsewhere.
will be good experience for him, but no need to publicly slate irfu because they have to balance a budget that doesn’t allow for his demands to be met
Exactly, the Irfu can’t match those kinds of wages, if they gave sexton that much they’d have to save elsewhere. the French clubs have agreed to raise their salary cap again next season, so unfortunately we might have to get used to this.
His demand was the same salary as Heaslip, 450k. The IRFU by all accounts wouldn’t meet that.
If they had acted quickly, shown a bit of interest and matched our best international player as our highest earning player, he may have stayed. Note the ‘I said I was going to do something if something else wasn’t done’.
Could give no more than he gave to rugby in Ireland from young. He will be loved and admired in France and paid appropriately. It’s a dangerous job and I wish him all the best and hope he will return to Leinster some day. Best of luck Leinster sat. Ulster Friday and lions this summer.
Let’s call it like it is. This was solely about money and fair play, he has to look after himself. The IRFU is a not-for-profit organisation, that cannot match the wages offered in France. Remember too, Heaslip and Kearney courted offers from France too when they entered negotiations for new contracts. Maybe the IRFU was sick of Irish players using threats of moving abroad to hold the IRFU to ransom? I wish him all the best. As a Munster fan, I have to admit, Madigan will be the Irish 10 very shortly and deservedly so, I think Leinster have a real gem there.
As much as I love madigan he’s not as good as sexton ( maybe he will be with more game time )
Some people are saying this is about money it’s not money it’s about a 4 year contract Verse a two year contract.
The IRFU in their wisdom or lack of it are trying to keep all 3 provinces at the same level but instead of bringing Ulster and Munster up to Leinster’s level they are trying to hamstring Leinster down to the other two.
Ultimately he’s right; he obviously did rate himself higher than the IRFU and that’s his decision to make. But he shouldn’t go on about it now. He should also rememember that it’s not all about the money. Home based international players get treated very well by the IRFU. They get protected very well by being given time away from their provinces when international season is on so that they can rest in between games and keep fit and injury free.
Sexton will potentially find himeself next year playing internationals one week and be expected to play for his club during the off-weeks. He may get a lot more money but he’s going to have to earn it by playing a lot more rugby.
Best of luck to him in France.
He has weighed up his options and chosen what is best for himself (as is his right)
Not sure he will get as much rest time (e.g. games off) as he does within the Ireland elite squad system as nearly every game in top 14 is a massive match.
As honest an interview as you’ll get.
Watch the pressure on joe to play paddy Jackson instead of that fecker, turn down our two year contract will you.
That’s the second top class player who the IRFU would not give a decent contract ( as in time not money ) to from Leinster. I wonder if they don’t like the fact Leinster are doing so well
Oh they hate Leinster doing well. Rumour has it, Phillip Browne told Nacewa to join Munster or Connacht or retire.
#ballsbridgeultrasknowtheirruggerstotesmon
They wouldn’t give hive him a decent contract? They offered him about 350 grand, at least! What the hell isn’t decent about that?
Fair play to Sexton on his new opportunity, but I don’t see any player in Irish rugby worth that money at present to be honest. The IRFU have to have a limit, and they can’t keep pushing it in times when things are pretty tight. If they caved to Sexton, then what about when O Brien, Healy, Murray etc were doing their negotiating.
Also, it was just the start of last season that Sexton couldn’t keep an ageing ROG out of the Irish team. His reputation is built on Leinster form, he’s struggled to control things with Ireland. I don’t think he’s worth what racing are paying him, but more power to him for taking advantage of it. But this slandering of the IRFU for using every spare penny to keep is ridiculous.
Bloody IRFU – bunch of cave men, sticking to their old traditions – its time they took the player into consideration … really annoyed with them after hearing what Sexton had to say.
Best of luck in France. right thing to do to maximise income while he still can. although its stretching it to say he is the best outhalf in Northern hemisphere i can think of 2 or 3 players ahead of him at the moment
A fine player, great at club level, but he has done nothing at international level to merit being rated as highly as he (and many here) appears to rate himself.
We have a bad habit in this country of blowing a players ability out of all proportion and this is a good example of it.
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He’s right his career is short so he should make as much as he can.best of luck to him
Play twice the number of games for 310K more and loose out on advertising revenue; it may not be as good a move as he thinks if it end his career prematurely. IRFU cannot out bid the french team anymore than the welsh could. There are options for Leinster and Ireland at 10 so why would they have offered him more. He’s a good player but possibly made look a lot better by having darcy and bod beside him, only time will tell. On the sporting/career side I don’t see him getting as many medals with racing either; 3/4th in france and maybe a few HC semis. He has to rate himself highly but if this only extends to the weekly paycheck then he’ll get on great with the rest of the racing guys!
It’s sad to see that despite countless people who are not even from these shores describing him as the best out half in the Northern hemisphere the IRFU fail to see his importance to Irish rugby.
I think they tried to call his bluff. Fair play to him. Go and take the leap that a lot of irish lads won’t do for fear of jeopardizing their international careers.
An absolute disgrace the way he (and others) are treated when it comes to contracts. Shocking that Leinster will now lose the best out half in the Northern hemisphere and thus commence our decline as the best team in Europe over the past 5 yrs…. They clearly don’t even understand business as well as true rugby… Typical of us as a nation… Anyway allez les blues!!
4 years really but who’s counting?! It’s sad to lose such a good player and manager in the same season. Ye had a good run though and ye’ll rise again I reckon
We have Madigan Oisin who has really hit form. With Sexton gone he can develop into a better player with more match experience so don’t worry the only reservation I have is over this new coach.
He’s the first first-choice player to leave in several years. It’s decidedly UNtypical of us as a rugby nation
Fair play to him. A rugby player has a short career that can be cut shorter again at any moment. They don’t get the obscene wages of their soccer star counterparts so they have to do right by themselves and their families. As for the IRFU, what they did is just another calamitous error to add to the list made by various sporting organisations in this country. If you have the best out half in this hemisphere, and in my opinion the 2nd best on the planet, you do everything in your power to hang on to him.
there is simply limited funds available to irfu to pay wages.
didn’t value me as much as I value myself, translation would not match what I could get in France, best of luck to him but o Driscoll o gara and others had similar options and choose loyalty to province over cash available elsewhere.
will be good experience for him, but no need to publicly slate irfu because they have to balance a budget that doesn’t allow for his demands to be met
Exactly, the Irfu can’t match those kinds of wages, if they gave sexton that much they’d have to save elsewhere. the French clubs have agreed to raise their salary cap again next season, so unfortunately we might have to get used to this.
His demand was the same salary as Heaslip, 450k. The IRFU by all accounts wouldn’t meet that.
If they had acted quickly, shown a bit of interest and matched our best international player as our highest earning player, he may have stayed. Note the ‘I said I was going to do something if something else wasn’t done’.
Typical IRFU amateur hour.
Could give no more than he gave to rugby in Ireland from young. He will be loved and admired in France and paid appropriately. It’s a dangerous job and I wish him all the best and hope he will return to Leinster some day. Best of luck Leinster sat. Ulster Friday and lions this summer.
Let’s call it like it is. This was solely about money and fair play, he has to look after himself. The IRFU is a not-for-profit organisation, that cannot match the wages offered in France. Remember too, Heaslip and Kearney courted offers from France too when they entered negotiations for new contracts. Maybe the IRFU was sick of Irish players using threats of moving abroad to hold the IRFU to ransom? I wish him all the best. As a Munster fan, I have to admit, Madigan will be the Irish 10 very shortly and deservedly so, I think Leinster have a real gem there.
As much as I love madigan he’s not as good as sexton ( maybe he will be with more game time )
Some people are saying this is about money it’s not money it’s about a 4 year contract Verse a two year contract.
The IRFU in their wisdom or lack of it are trying to keep all 3 provinces at the same level but instead of bringing Ulster and Munster up to Leinster’s level they are trying to hamstring Leinster down to the other two.
Ultimately he’s right; he obviously did rate himself higher than the IRFU and that’s his decision to make. But he shouldn’t go on about it now. He should also rememember that it’s not all about the money. Home based international players get treated very well by the IRFU. They get protected very well by being given time away from their provinces when international season is on so that they can rest in between games and keep fit and injury free.
Sexton will potentially find himeself next year playing internationals one week and be expected to play for his club during the off-weeks. He may get a lot more money but he’s going to have to earn it by playing a lot more rugby.
Still earns less than Paul McShane…
Another reason why he will never be loved and admired through out the country like rog.
rog, rog, who the £uck is rog?
Alices brother!!!!
Sexton can and has done everything ROG ever done added to the fact he can move a backline and the small matter of not being afraid to tackle
Except kick the winning drop goal under pressure to secure the first Irish grandslam in 65 years ;-)
The memory of that day just put me in a glass case of emotion
What a cry baby.
Ha! You’d walk to if you were offered less than dunchka o Callaghan
When is heaslip going to live up to his €450k salary?
You mean the recently nominated for European player of the year who’s statistically top forward in Europe this year and Irish captain?
Best of luck to him in France.
He has weighed up his options and chosen what is best for himself (as is his right)
Not sure he will get as much rest time (e.g. games off) as he does within the Ireland elite squad system as nearly every game in top 14 is a massive match.
As honest an interview as you’ll get.
Watch the pressure on joe to play paddy Jackson instead of that fecker, turn down our two year contract will you.
That’s the second top class player who the IRFU would not give a decent contract ( as in time not money ) to from Leinster. I wonder if they don’t like the fact Leinster are doing so well
Oh they hate Leinster doing well. Rumour has it, Phillip Browne told Nacewa to join Munster or Connacht or retire.
#ballsbridgeultrasknowtheirruggerstotesmon
They wouldn’t give hive him a decent contract? They offered him about 350 grand, at least! What the hell isn’t decent about that?
Fair play to Sexton on his new opportunity, but I don’t see any player in Irish rugby worth that money at present to be honest. The IRFU have to have a limit, and they can’t keep pushing it in times when things are pretty tight. If they caved to Sexton, then what about when O Brien, Healy, Murray etc were doing their negotiating.
Also, it was just the start of last season that Sexton couldn’t keep an ageing ROG out of the Irish team. His reputation is built on Leinster form, he’s struggled to control things with Ireland. I don’t think he’s worth what racing are paying him, but more power to him for taking advantage of it. But this slandering of the IRFU for using every spare penny to keep is ridiculous.
Is that a case if reds under the bed, eh mcgov???
I don’t rate Sexton as highly as he thinks he is either!
let him go to France & eat frogs legs, I really couldn’t careless!
Johnny started to believe he is better than he is. Reality check in France.
Little fecker….Never liked him!!
Cause he took O’Gara’s place….pathetic
Bloody IRFU – bunch of cave men, sticking to their old traditions – its time they took the player into consideration … really annoyed with them after hearing what Sexton had to say.
Best of luck to him. It will be interesting to see how no longer being part of the elite Irish player program has an affect on him if any.
Best of luck in France. right thing to do to maximise income while he still can. although its stretching it to say he is the best outhalf in Northern hemisphere i can think of 2 or 3 players ahead of him at the moment
Names?
The name is in above comments Ronan O Gara and also J Wilkinson.
Not many people rate him as highly as he rates himself. I certainly don’t. He is gonna be eaten alive in the French league.
If you take out Johnny sexton and replace it with robbie Keane. It reads
A fine player, great at club level, but he has done nothing at international level to merit being rated as highly as he (and many here) appears to rate himself.
We have a bad habit in this country of blowing a players ability out of all proportion and this is a good example of it.
So, with Madigan looking like the real deal….. will JS ever come back to Leinster?
To avoid repaying Taxes he has to finish his carrer in Ireland
I said leinster….. Not Ireland :-)
Sexton should have been offered a 5 year deal 2 years ago now he is gone to France the flood gates will open
seems like they didn’t like your previous comment!
Shades of F.A.I.