One of the big questions when Johnny Sexton stepped away from the Ireland squad was what would be next for the Leinster man.
Sexton retired from pro rugby after the 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand. He had previously stated he would not pursue a career in coaching, saying in his autobiography Obsessed, "I think the experience has made one thing clearer to me: I wouldn’t go into coaching after retirement."
However, it did not take long for him to be swayed.
Little over a year on from that agonising loss to the All Blacks, reports began to emerge that Sexton would be involved in Andy Farrell's coaching setup for the November internationals.
Those reports later became truth and Sexton was tasked with guiding the next generation of Irish outhalves as a mentor within Farrell's coaching setup.
During the November internationals, the media did not capture Sexton within the Irish camp. However, fresh photos from the pre-Six Nations camp in Portugal have now shown Sexton for the first time in his new role as an Ireland coach.
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Pictures show Johnny Sexton among Ireland coaches in Portugal
Interim head coach Simon Easterby has taken his Ireland squad on the now-traditional pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal, with the group preparing in Quinta da Lago.
Sportsfile's latest batch of training photos from Saturday morning were the first to capture Johnny Sexton in his new role in the Ireland squad, referring to him as an "assistant coach."
Photos captured him working with former Ireland teammates Conor Murray, Robbie Henshaw, Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki, as well as with the man many have earmarked as his long-term replacement, Sam Prendergast.
25 January 2025; Sam Prendergast, left, and assistant coach Jonathan Sexton during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton, left, and Conor Murray during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton, centre, during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
25 January 2025; Assistant coach Jonathan Sexton, left, with interim head coach Simon Easterby and national scrum coach John Fogarty during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinta da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Earlier this week, Conor Murray had spoken about the reintroduction of his former Ireland teammate Johnny Sexton into the national team setup.
The veteran scrumhalf joked that he had not missed Sexton's "narkiness" in the year he had been away from the team.
I don’t miss him screaming at me, I think I’ve won one argument out of the hundreds we’ve had on the pitch, and I had to be dead sure I was right. So that side of things, no.
He’s passing on knowledge and he gets involved. In November he got involved in a couple of training sessions and he still has that narkiness, giving it out to the lads, it doesn’t leave you, it just doesn’t leave you.
So lads were giving him a few shoulders and stuff, so it was good to see, giving it to him.
The presence of Sexton can only be a positive in the development of Ireland's next wave of out-halves.
As things stand, it is almost too close to call as to who will start at 10 for the Six Nations opener against England next Saturday. Leinster prodigy Sam Prendergast looks to have the edge though Jack Crowley reminded everyone what he is capable of with his bright showings in the Champions Cup this month.
With Johnny Sexton watching on, the battle for the number 10 jersey is set to be one of the most captivating of this year's Six Nations.
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