Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says he did not feel ‘undermined’ by Johnny Sexton’s reaction to being substituted against France, instead insisting ‘that’s why we love him’.
Sexton was visibly disgruntled following his withdrawal in the closing stages of Ireland’s defeat in Paris on Saturday, which saw Farrell’s men miss out on claiming the Six Nations title.
But speaking ahead of his side’s upcoming Autumn Nations Cup campaign, which begins at home to Wales on November 13, Farrell revealed there were no problems between himself and his star fly-half.
“I don’t feel undermined at all. Not at all,” he said. “Johnny is a passionate guy and it is a reason we all love him as a player, for how long he has been at the top of the Irish game.
“I suppose there is always a bit of learning from every game you play but, no, I don’t feel undermined and neither do the team.
“We need Johnny to be himself and there is always going to be learnings along the way but you are not going to change overnight a person who has been at the top because of the intent and attitude he has got.
“Me and Johnny are always talking together. We speak most days. That is always ongoing. We have conversations constantly to see where we are both at.”
For his part, Sexton admitted he had apologised to Farrell as the pair drew a line under an incident described by the Ireland head coach as “a storm in a teacup.”
“I spoke to Andy after the game and on Sunday, when I realised it was such a big thing, we sorted things out,” Sexton said.
“I apologised and said ‘look, it shouldn’t have happened’. It did, it was a split second and I obviously let myself down in that regard.
“Thankfully we’ve got a good relationship and there are no problems going forward.”
The 35-year-old is likely to play a key role in Ireland’s Autumn Nations Cup campaign, which also includes matches against England and Georgia in Group A before the Finals weekend.
Farrell today named three uncapped players in his 34-man squad for the fixtures, which will be televised on RTE and Channel 4.
