Johnny Sexton responds to Ioane feud fallout

Former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton admits reaction to his autobiography has taken him by surprise, after detailing his spat with All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane.

With the release of his autobiography, Obsessed, Sexton has reignited the feud he had with the All Blacks at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

As Sam Whitelock produced a crucial turnover that effectively sealed New Zealand’s win, Sexton claims Ioane told him to “get back 10 metres”, before also telling him “don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c**t”.

And after former Ireland test hooker James Tracy labelled Ioane’s act “as low as you can get”, the All Black himself took to social media to rub further salt into the wound.

The 27-year-old posted a picture of himself and Sexton in the World Cup quarter-final, showing a joker emoji above himself, with a home emoji under the Ireland captain.

To pour further fuel on the fire, the image was underscored with the Cranberries’ Zombie, the song that became Ireland’s anthem during the World Cup.

Speaking to the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly, Sexton explained why he chose to air his side of the story in his book, rather than leave it on the field.

“I do care, like I do care [about what people think],” said Sexton. “But like I said, the most important are your teammates or the people in your country.

“But I was a bit shocked by the reaction. I toyed with taking it out, putting it in.

“But the reason for putting it in was not giving out like this is just what happened.

“I was criticised after the game for my reaction, because people thought ‘oh here’s your man being a sore loser again’. But they didn’t see what set me off.

“So it was me explaining why.”

Earlier this year, Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth accused Ireland of being arrogant, having told South Africa “see you guys in the final” after their victory in pool play.

After the quarter-final, All Blacks coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane offered their praise for Sexton and his career in their post-match interviews.

“We know how much it hurts, but when we reflect on his career, we see how great he has been for Ireland. He is great at decision-making, and he plays an outstanding game, and the fact that he has been playing at this level proves it. Congratulations on his outstanding career,” Foster said.

“He’s been massively successful for them. If we hadn’t won, we would have a number of iconic players we would be saying goodbye to, too.”

The All Blacks will meet Ireland for the first time since the quarter-final in Dublin on November 9.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission