Jimmy O'Brien: Johnny Sexton ban won't affect Rugby World Cup preparation

Jimmy O'Brien says Ireland's Rugby World Cup preparations won't be affected by Johnny Sexton's three-game suspension.

The Ireland captain is set to miss all three of Ireland's warm-up games after being hit with a ban for his conduct towards the match officials at the end of Leinster's Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle in May.

And with Sexton having missed the end of the club season due to a groin injury, it means the 38-year-old will return for Ireland's opening game of the World Cup against Romania on 9 September having not played for just under six months.

"Not much to be honest, it is what it is," O'Brien said when asked what impact the suspension will have on their preparations.

"We'll just keep going, and other lads will get a chance [to play]. He'll be back for the World Cup, and it hasn't really affected us much."

The length of the ban has been criticised in some quarters, with many in the game suggesting the Ireland captain should have also been forced to sit out a portion of the tournament.

However, when asked if the squad were "relieved" to hear the out-half would be available to play the opener against Romania, O'Brien (below) said they hadn't given it much thought.

"I don't know if it was a relief. I didn't even know when it was announced. I came in and the lads said it.

"You're kind of in a bubble and it keeps going. He got the ban and then it's just like, 'what's the next thing? We're going training'. Nobody is relieved, I don't think it's the right word. We just deal with it and move on."

James Ryan and Peter O'Mahony are the obvious candidates to take over captaincy for the warm-up games against Italy (5 August), England (19 August) and Samoa (26 August), but O'Brien says Sexton will still play a major