Another year, another Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit. This time, it also spells the end of Johnny Sexton in an Ireland jersey. Irish Rugby legend Brian O'Driscools says Sexton will have regrets over his final game.
Ireland have so often failed to show up on this stage in the past, but this wasn't one of those occasions. They were excellent against New Zealand in Paris, but having failed to make the most of their many scoring opportunities, they would ultimately come up short in a 28-24 defeat.
This is a tough loss to take.
Ireland have been absolutely incredible over the last two years, deserving the mantle of the best side in the world. They carried that form into this tournament, at least until this game.
Whereas New Zealand found their tries relatively easy to come by, Andy Farrell's team had no such luck. They scuppered a number of brilliant opportunities in the All Blacks 22-metre line, something that ultimately the deciding factor in the game.
Brian O'Driscoll says Johnny Sexton will have regrets over New Zealand loss
Of course, this match will now also mark the end of Johnny Sexton's career.
The out-half will go down as perhaps the greatest Irish player of all-time, with this being a cruel end to what has been a remarkable stint in green.
He did everything he could to drag his team over the line tonight, and having orchestrated 37 phases in the dying moments of the match, they would come up just short.
Unfortunately, he will now have to live with the fact that this is the way his career was brought to an end.
Speaking on ITV after the game, Brian O'Driscoll said that is something that the Ireland captain is going to have to live with for a long time.
🗣"Knowing him it will be the one that will really hurt him"
A sad end for Johnny Sexton in what has been a phenomenal career.#RWC2023 | #IREvNZL | @BrianODriscoll pic.twitter.com/tPyCjFKIdG— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 14, 2023
He is going to have to live this for a long while. Knowing the personality that he is, he will play that over and over and what he could have done differently.
They threw everything at the All Blacks. You can always look back at missed opportunities, but they gave literally everything they had. They were just repelled. They came up against a team of possessed men, they had a point to prove and they really showed it...
We just haven't had the fortune that we needed. That is always going to be the case with any Ireland team going to a World Cup, we're going to need a big slice of luck to get us there.
It does feel like when are we ever going to have a better chance of getting to a final or semi-final than with this team, what they have done, the rugby they have played, and the momentum that they built. It's such a deflater...
I think the really frustrating thing, and we talked about Johnny Sexton looking back, we have to say there was a missed penalty in the 58th minute that got it within drop goal range. That's what makes it all the more painful.
If you are looking for a way to pull it apart and split hairs, the reality is that they had to score a try and against a revolute defence like that with tired bodies at the end of the game, it was always going to be a big ask. It was always going to be easier to try and get a penalty out of it or at least have a shot at goal to take the spoils.
They didn't have that opportunity to do so and ran out of puff after 30-something phases...
That's the hard thing. I'm sure Johnny will eventually look at that and really kick himself. You never blame kickers, but that one will really hurt them.
A tough way to go out, especially when he may be thinking that the missed penalty in the second half could have made a difference to the final result.
Johnny Sexton certainly deserved better.
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