'They didn't see': Why Jonny Sexton aired Rugby World Cup dirty laundry in book
Updated . First published
Ireland legend Jonny Sexton says he was "shocked by the reaction" to his biography Obsessed in which he details the explosive post-match interaction with New Zealand's Rieko Ioane at last year's Rugby World Cup.
Sexton claimed in the book that Ioane advised him "don't miss your flight tomorrow" and "enjoy your retirement, you c--t" after the All Blacks knocked Ireland out in a gripping quarter-final in Paris.
Sexton got under the skin of the All Blacks - notably Dane Coles - during his illustrious career and was notoriously intense and talkative on field.
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Jonathan Sexton of Ireland and Rieko Ioane of New Zealand. Getty
The rivalry between the nations ramped off further when Ireland's Peter O'Mahony infamously told All Blacks captain Sam Cane "you're a shit Richie McCaw" during a 2022 Test in Dunedin.
Sexton - found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute by abusing officials in 2023 - complained about Ioane's actions in his book.
"So much for the All Blacks' famous "no dickheads" policy," he wrote.
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Rieko Ioane of New Zealand celebrates next to Garry Ringrose and Jonathan Sexton of Ireland. Getty
"So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f---er. It doesn't look great, me having a go at one of them just after we've lost. But I can't be expected to ignore that."
The comments predictably caused a stir around the rugby world and Sexton elaborated during an interview with the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
"I was a bit shocked by the reaction to that because I toyed with taking it out, putting it in, but the reason I put it in was not giving out like, this is just what happened," Sexton said.
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"A certain part of me was just trying to protect because I got 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.
"It was just me explaining why. I remember texting (All Blacks assistant coach) Joe (Schmidt) after the game and I said: 'Look, I know it looked bad me chasing your man after the final whistle but this is what happened, I'm sorry for my reaction.'
"That's the only reason I put it in. I didn't do it to kick things off… I don't really mind that it happened, you know what I mean, this is just why I reacted."
Rieko Ioane scores a try. Getty
Ioane later took to Instagram, posting a photo of their 2023 war of words, accompanied by The Cranberries' song Zombie - Ireland's unofficial anthem of the tournament.
Ioane carefully picked out the chorus - "in your head" - in his post.
"That's what I don't want. I don't want a tit-for-tat," Sexton said, adding that he didn't think he'd be friendly with the All Blacks centre any time soon.
"I'd have no problem. No problem at all. I don't think… if he's putting it up on social media, I don't think he'd be too interested."
Sexton also said the Wallabies were making progress under his long-time mentor Schmidt.
"It sounds like he still has that intelligence and brains," he said.
Joe Schmidt and Jonny Sexton following victory at Stade De France. Getty
"But it'll take time. He's only had a few weeks with them, a few games, and obviously they had a sort of bad half against Argentina. But other than that, they've been really competitive, I would say...
"Joe will improve every team he goes into. Listen to the New Zealand guys talking about him. They loved him, the years he worked there. And he's been successful everywhere he's gone, really. I know he didn't win a World Cup in New Zealand as an assistant coach, but they came pretty close. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck...
"I remember playing games at the end of my career with Joe Schmidt still in my ear, in a good way. Because he was a genius. And he influenced me so much in that period of my career, I worked with him from 2011-18 so the majority of my career was with Joe in one way."
