Jonathan Sexton
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Sexton is a rugby union
player for Leinster Rugby
in the Celtic League
and Heineken Cup
. Sexton is a nephew of former Garryowen
, Munster
and Ireland
rugby player Willie Sexton.
Sexton is registered to St. Mary's College RFC who play in AIB League Division 1.
Sexton usually plays as Fly-half but has played several different positions in the back-line.
He attended St. Marys college
in Dublin and scored a drop goal
in the dying moments of St. Marys' 2002 Leinster Senior Cup
final win.
winning side in 2007–08.
On 2 May 2009, he came on for Felipe Contepomi
in the Heineken Cup
semi-final helping Leinster beat rivals Munster
25–6. He then started in Leinster's home match against the Scarlets in the Celtic League, scoring 15 points (including a try) in a man of the match performance.
As a result of Contepomi's injury, he started the 2009 Heineken Cup Final
. He kicked a spectacular drop goal from the halfway line and also kicked the winning penalty (a total of 11 points,2 penalties, 1 drop goal and 1 conversion) that saw Leinster win their first European Cup against Leicester Tigers
at Murrayfield
. Upon recovering from a hand injury sustained during the Ireland South Africa
autumn international fixture in 2009 Sexton helped Leinster to secure a bonus point win over Brive
in the Heineken Cup to take command of their pool. The following week in their pool decider Sexton scored a sensational drop goal in the dying minutes against London Irish
at Twickenham
to even up the score at eleven all. His drop goal secured Leinster a home advantage in the Heineken Cup quarter finals and knocked the Exiles out of the competition. Sexton's ability was highlighted upon his return from injury in the 2010/11 where he helped Leinster recover from a shaky start to the season as a second half substitute in their win over Munster in the Celtic League. Following this victory he helped Leinster to wins over Racing Metro and Saracens
in the Heineken Cup. In the second match he received a man of the match award after scoring twenty-five points, including a try, giving his team the top spot in a pool regarded as one of the most competitive in heineken cup history. A poll taken by planetrugby.com following these performances suggested that Sexton is currently regarded as the top fly-half in Europe. During Leinster's 2011 Heineken Cup final against the Northampton Saints
Sexton scored 28 points including 2 tries in a historic comeback, earning him a man of the match award and his second Heineken Cup. His 28 points in that match makes him the second-highest scorer in one game in Heineken Cup history. However, Sexton and Leinster could not snatch the first Heineken Cup and Celtic League double that season, with the club losing to Munster
in the Final.
squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
but sustained a fractured thumb shortly beforehand playing for Leinster.
Sexton was selected to play for Ireland A
in the 2009 Churchill Cup
. Ireland A went on to win the tournamnent beating England Saxons 49–22 in the final with Sexton scoring 15 points despite being sin-binned.
He won his first cap for Ireland in the Test against Fiji
at the RDS in Dublin on 21 November 2009 scoring 16 points (5 conversions and 2 penalty goals), kicking 7 from 7 in extremely difficult weather conditions and winning Man of the Match. On 24 November 2009 Sexton was selected ahead of veteran fly-half Ronan O'Gara
in Ireland's autumn international
against South Africa
. He kicked all of Ireland's 15 points in a 15–10 victory against the World Champions. After the match, scans confirmed that he sustained two broken fingers. Sexton returned to the Ireland squad for the 2010 Six Nations, he came on as a substitute in Ireland's loss against France
. He was selected to earn his first Six Nations start in the match against England in Twickenham on February 27, 2010.
Ireland won the game 20–16 at Twickenham
with Sexton scoring 1 penalty from 5 attempts before being replaced by Ronan O'Gara
late in the game. Sexton started against Wales and Scotland, being replaced by Ronan O'Gara in both games towards the end. Over the six nations, his kicking succes rate was much lower than in his first few tests, missing several kicks however, it should be noted that Sexton was suffering from a quad injury at the time and was commended for his playmaking ability. He was named in Ireland's squad for the 2010 Summer Tests, coming off the bench to replace O'Gara against New Zealand. He started against New Zealand Maori and kicked 23 points, and started against Australia, kicking all of Ireland's 15 points in the game. Sexton was named RBS 6 Nations Man of the Match following his role in Ireland's successful attempt to stop England's hunt for a Grand Slam in the 2011 RBS 6 Nations.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
in the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
. Sexton is a nephew of former Garryowen
Garryowen Football Club
Garryowen Football Club , usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. Historically it has been one of the most successful clubs in Irish rugby union leagues.-Name:...
, Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
rugby player Willie Sexton.
Sexton is registered to St. Mary's College RFC who play in AIB League Division 1.
Sexton usually plays as Fly-half but has played several different positions in the back-line.
He attended St. Marys college
St. Mary's College, Dublin
Saint Mary's College C.S.Sp. is an all-boys' primary & secondary school run by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and located in Rathmines, County Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1890 and was closed between 1916 and 1926.Rugby is the major sport and the school colours are blue and...
in Dublin and scored a drop goal
Field goal (rugby)
A drop goal, also referred to as a dropped goal or field goal, is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league. A drop goal cannot be scored in open play by punting the ball, and instead must be scored by drop kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the uprights. After the...
in the dying moments of St. Marys' 2002 Leinster Senior Cup
Leinster Schools Senior Cup
The Leinster Schools Senior Challenge Cup is the premier rugby union competition for secondary schools affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. First held in 1887, the Cup celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2007....
final win.
Leinster
He was part of Leinster's Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
winning side in 2007–08.
On 2 May 2009, he came on for Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi is an Argentine rugby union footballer. A fly-half and centre, he currently plays for Stade Francais of the French Top 14; he made his debut for the club in November 2009 after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a 2008–09 Heineken Cup match with his previous club, Magners...
in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
semi-final helping Leinster beat rivals Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
25–6. He then started in Leinster's home match against the Scarlets in the Celtic League, scoring 15 points (including a try) in a man of the match performance.
As a result of Contepomi's injury, he started the 2009 Heineken Cup Final
2009 Heineken Cup Final
The 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after...
. He kicked a spectacular drop goal from the halfway line and also kicked the winning penalty (a total of 11 points,2 penalties, 1 drop goal and 1 conversion) that saw Leinster win their first European Cup against Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
. Upon recovering from a hand injury sustained during the Ireland South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
autumn international fixture in 2009 Sexton helped Leinster to secure a bonus point win over Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
in the Heineken Cup to take command of their pool. The following week in their pool decider Sexton scored a sensational drop goal in the dying minutes against London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
to even up the score at eleven all. His drop goal secured Leinster a home advantage in the Heineken Cup quarter finals and knocked the Exiles out of the competition. Sexton's ability was highlighted upon his return from injury in the 2010/11 where he helped Leinster recover from a shaky start to the season as a second half substitute in their win over Munster in the Celtic League. Following this victory he helped Leinster to wins over Racing Metro and Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
in the Heineken Cup. In the second match he received a man of the match award after scoring twenty-five points, including a try, giving his team the top spot in a pool regarded as one of the most competitive in heineken cup history. A poll taken by planetrugby.com following these performances suggested that Sexton is currently regarded as the top fly-half in Europe. During Leinster's 2011 Heineken Cup final against the Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
Sexton scored 28 points including 2 tries in a historic comeback, earning him a man of the match award and his second Heineken Cup. His 28 points in that match makes him the second-highest scorer in one game in Heineken Cup history. However, Sexton and Leinster could not snatch the first Heineken Cup and Celtic League double that season, with the club losing to Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
in the Final.
Ireland
He was selected as part of the IrelandIreland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
but sustained a fractured thumb shortly beforehand playing for Leinster.
Sexton was selected to play for Ireland A
Ireland A national rugby union team
The Ireland Wolfhounds are the second national rugby union team behind the Irish national side. They have previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons and the full national teams of Canada and the United States as well as selection of other nations' 1st, 2nd and 3rd...
in the 2009 Churchill Cup
Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
. Ireland A went on to win the tournamnent beating England Saxons 49–22 in the final with Sexton scoring 15 points despite being sin-binned.
He won his first cap for Ireland in the Test against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
at the RDS in Dublin on 21 November 2009 scoring 16 points (5 conversions and 2 penalty goals), kicking 7 from 7 in extremely difficult weather conditions and winning Man of the Match. On 24 November 2009 Sexton was selected ahead of veteran fly-half Ronan O'Gara
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
in Ireland's autumn international
2009 end of year rugby tests
The 2009 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere....
against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He kicked all of Ireland's 15 points in a 15–10 victory against the World Champions. After the match, scans confirmed that he sustained two broken fingers. Sexton returned to the Ireland squad for the 2010 Six Nations, he came on as a substitute in Ireland's loss against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
. He was selected to earn his first Six Nations start in the match against England in Twickenham on February 27, 2010.
Ireland won the game 20–16 at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
with Sexton scoring 1 penalty from 5 attempts before being replaced by Ronan O'Gara
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
late in the game. Sexton started against Wales and Scotland, being replaced by Ronan O'Gara in both games towards the end. Over the six nations, his kicking succes rate was much lower than in his first few tests, missing several kicks however, it should be noted that Sexton was suffering from a quad injury at the time and was commended for his playmaking ability. He was named in Ireland's squad for the 2010 Summer Tests, coming off the bench to replace O'Gara against New Zealand. He started against New Zealand Maori and kicked 23 points, and started against Australia, kicking all of Ireland's 15 points in the game. Sexton was named RBS 6 Nations Man of the Match following his role in Ireland's successful attempt to stop England's hunt for a Grand Slam in the 2011 RBS 6 Nations.
Leinster
- Leinster Schools Senior Cup (with St Mary's College, Dublin) 2002
- Celtic LeagueCeltic League (rugby union)The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
: 2007–08 - Heineken CupHeineken CupThe Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
: 2008–092009 Heineken Cup FinalThe 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after...
, 2010–112011 Heineken Cup FinalThe 2011 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2010–11 Heineken Cup, the 16th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 21 May 2011 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The match was contested by Northampton Saints of England and Leinster of Ireland,...