The rumour mill has been in full flow this week with speculation surrounding Jonathan Sexton's future with Leinster. Having apparently met Racing Metro's billionaire owner Jacky Lorenzetti for a second time last Sunday, there seems to be genuine interest from the Parisian club in securing arguably Leinster and Ireland's most potent player. With the fly half's contract with the IRFU in its final year, Sexton is said to be exploring his options. With the majority of Leinster supporters up in arms over this possible move, here's five reasons why it may be prove to be a good move for Sexton.
He has won everything with Leinster
The pivotal moment in Jonathan Sexton's career undoubtedly came in the 2009 Heineken Cup semi final when he was an early replacement for the stricken Felipe Contepomi. The sense of excitement around Croke Park that day when the young apprentice took centre stage was very real. Having seen glimpses of Sexton previously in the Celtic League, everyone in Croke Park that day knew that this was his big opportunity. But more importantly Sexton himself knew that. He went on to orchestrate Leinster's demolition job over old rivals Munster and has never looked back since. Contepomi's cruciate ligament injury kept him out for the rest of the season and soon after he signed for Toulon- paving the way for Sexton to become first choice fly half.
That same season Sexton would make his Irish debut but not before he played a crucial role in Leinster's first ever Heineken Cup success. Having kicked a quite brilliant drop goal from the half way line, he would also kick the match winning penalty that saw Leinster beat Leicester Tigers. This would prove to be the spark in Sexton's love affair of the Heineken Cup. His 28 point haul in the 2011 final is seen as one of the greatest individual performances in the long and illustrious history of the competition. His two tries sparked a staggering Leinster comeback in which they overturned a 22-6 half time deficit against Northampton. The following year, Leinster would become only the second team ever to retain the trophy. A comfortable victory over Ulster was again expertly mastered by Sexton who scored 15 points in the game.
Sexton also won the Celtic League (now the Rabo Pro 12) with Leinster back in 2008. A quick run through his finest moments in a blue jersey, makes you wonder what more he can achieve? At 27 he is in the prime of his career with still plenty of more to offer. It's a given that it would be difficult for Leinster supporters to see their prized asset play in another team's colours but could the staunchest supporter deny him his chance to play two years in France before finishing his career in Leinster? After all, he has won everything possible with Leinster.
Experience
With big finances behind a lot of the French clubs, they are attracting more and more of the game's top players. We have already seen the mass exodus of Welsh players heading to France with the likes of Lee Byrne (Clermont), Mike Phillips (Bayonne) and Gethin Jenkins (Toulon) all jumping ship. I am not for a second encouraging Irish players to follow suit but there is certainly the attraction there for the likes of Sexton to play a couple of years in such a highly competitive league. Stars of the Southern hemisphere have also spent time in France, but admittedly not always for the right reasons. Bu when you see names like Giteau, Habana and McAlister playing in the same league, it must at least be tempting to prove yourself week in week out against this calibre of players.
The Top 14 is becoming increasingly popular in France with the average attendances steadily rising over the last few seasons. The influx of top names is the obvious go to factor for such a trend and if Racing Metro were to add Sexton to their growing list of stellar names, it would only serve to further their average home attendances. Regardless of who Racing go onto sign, Sexton's signature would be their most important coup to date. A couple of years playing in front of a passionate Parisian crowd alongside and against some of the game's top players could do Sexton the world of good.
Money
Regardless of what way you look at the situation, money will play a huge role on whether or not Sexton is to leave Leinster. If you are to believe what you read in the papers, Racing have offered to more than double Sexton's salary. The offer on the table is believed to be somewhere in the region of €750,000-€800,000 per annum. Of course the IRFU are not in a position to compete with such a huge offer but they have been very tight lipped on what kind of new deal they would be willing to offer their most important player. There has been whispers of a deal worth half a million to Sexton being tabled by the IRFU after their initial contract wasn't exactly welcomed in the Sexton camp. Sexton is keen to improve the contract which he signed two years ago but the IRFU's initial offer seems to have been shunned as it was in no way improved. In the past two years, he has proved that he is the country's key man, so one can feel an element of sympathy with the fly half. But as always there is a limit to what the IRFU can offer. If it is money that he is after (and I am not saying it is) then he may as well pack his bags now as the deal Racing have apparently offered is as good as it's going to get. A rugby players career is quite short in comparison to say a Premiership footballers, if Sexton was to leave for two years, make his money and return, what Leinster supporter wouldn't welcome him back with open arms?
Racing are an exciting new project
Although Racing Metro are having a poor season domestically and having just been knocked out of the Heineken Cup, they are a relatively new and exciting project. Their chairman Jacky Lorenzetti who is also a property guru is said to be worth at least €90 million. Having taken over the club in 2006, he has brought Racing back to the Top 14 and has attracted some interesting names along the way. Players like Andrew Mehrtens, Sereli Bobo, Agustin Pichot and Francois Steyn have all played for Racing during Lorenzetti's tenure.
The future looks bright for Racing Metro with developments for a new stadium well under way. Lorenzetti has plans to move the club from its old ground at Stade Colombes to a new, purpose-built 30,000-capacity stadium in Paris. They already have a new coaching line up readied for next season with current Castres pair Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers on their way to Paris. Both are highly regarded in French rugby which is another signal of Lorenzetti's intent. As well as a new stadium and two new coaches, Racing are also bringing in some well known faces. Brian Mujati, Juandre Kruger, and Marc Andreu have all signed on for next season with plenty of other names as well as Sexton's being mentioned. Should Sexton opt for the move to Racing, it won't be to build a legacy as he has done with Leinster. This relatively new and exciting project that is being funded by a man who seemingly has the club's best interests at heart is surely one that would turn the head of any ambitious player.
What happens if the IRFU splash out on lucrative a contract for one player?
If the IRFU were to go all out and offer Sexton a huge salary, would this set a benchmark for what the younger crop of Irish players should be looking for? At the end of the day Sexton must look after himself while the IRFU's job is to look after the state of Irish rugby and not just one player. The IRFU have never tried or claimed to able to compete with the super budgets that the Top 14 clubs have. Why start now? There are plenty of up and coming talents coming through in this country at the moment. If the IRFU were to spend a large proportion of their budget on keeping Sexton, it could have serious ramifications for Irish rugby as a whole further down the line. In a couple of years time, who's to deny the likes of Stephen Ferris, Conor Murray, Craig Gilroy or Cian Healy using Sexton's contract as a similar benchmark for what they would be looking for from the IRFU?
With all the negativity surrounding a move that may not even happen, it is worth considering the flip side of the coin. Although it would be a great shame to see such a brilliant Irish player leave the country, the reality is it would only be for a couple of years. Sexton is already a folk hero in Leinster. What he decides to do for the next two years won't affect that in any way. In an interview with Newstalk in 2011, Sexton described negations with the IRFU over a new contract as "frustrating" and as a "burden". Two years on from that, there is a great sense of deja-vu surrounding the latest set of contract talks.
The previous year (2010), he spoke of his desire to constantly improve: "I want to try and improve. I think I’ve tried to get better every season. If I can improve even more than I have in previous seasons that’s what I’ll be going for." Sexton has achieved each and every goal in a Leinster jersey. Perhaps his next test will be in the blue of Racing Metro.
