‘Roll on the World Cup’: Johnny Sexton aims sights even higher for Ireland

theguardian.com:

Johnny Sexton believes Ireland can now aim even higher following the victory against England in Dublin that sealed a fourth grand slam in the nation’s history.

Sexton confirmed he had played his final Six Nations match having steered his side to a 29-16 win. Ireland finished seven points ahead of second-placed France, while the 37-year-old became the record points scorer in the tournament’s history, surpassing Ronan O’Gara’s record. “This is a high point, but I hope it’s not the highest point,” Sexton said. “Roll on the World Cup – that’s what we need to focus on now … This is part of the journey. “It’s very special, like the series in New Zealand was very special … We need to keep our feet on the ground, keep building.

There’s a lot of guys that have been injured who are going to come back and put pressure on the guys who’ve been playing.” Sitting alongside Sexton the Ireland head coach, Andy Farrell, paid a glowing tribute to his captain. “It’s unbelievably fitting that in my opinion the best player ever to play for Ireland is able to sign off with a grand slam on St Patrick’s Day, in front of his home crowd,” Farrell said. “A lot of stars that have aligned over the past eight weeks.” Farrell said it was a weird feeling to have clinched a clean sweep and that he had felt a duty to deliver victory. “I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or be a bit sad,” Farrell said. “It’s a weird feeling.

I’m just delighted for the boys to get it over the line. It meant so much to them, especially being here [in Dublin], only the fourth grand slam in Irish history. “It’s a special occasion … We felt a duty that we couldn’t let people down.