Choice words.

Former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has opened up about the heated exchange between him and New Zealand centre Rieko Ioane following last year’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final.

Sexton snapped at Ioane following Ireland’s defeat but it appears he had very good reason to be annoyed.

The Sunday Times published extracts from the book this weekend, and it turns out Ioane had some choice words for Sexton at the final white

“I couldn’t bring myself to watch the quarter-final back,” Sexton writes.

“I don’t think I ever will. I don’t need to. I’ve mentally replayed every second, over and over. It finishes the same way every time. Rónan Kelleher still ploughs into Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Whitelock goes in for the poach, clearly without releasing, but somehow Wayne Barnes awards him the penalty, even though it has all happened under his nose — and it’s all over.

“And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, “Get back ten metres.”

“Huh?

“Penalty,” he says. “Back ten.” And then, after Barnes blows the final whistle, he says, “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c**t.” So much for the All Blacks’ famous “no dickheads” policy. 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.

“Later, I got in touch with Joe Schmidt to explain my behaviour. Joe was part of the All Blacks’ coaching team and we go back a long way. Typically, he’d been gracious in victory that night. He took time to say nice things to Luca, on the pitch, shortly after the game. The Barrett brothers — Beauden, Scott and Jordie — were real gentlemen, too, as was Ardie Savea, who had some lovely words of consolation for me. I appreciated that.”