Johnny Sexton Could Be Set To Take A Rugby Sabbatical
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Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has revealed that Johnny Sexton could take some time out of the game after his latest injury set-back.
The playmaker damaged his right hamstring in the defeat to New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium after struggling with his left hamstring in the lead up to the Autumn series.
Sexton has been plagued by a variety of injuries since touring with the Lions and moving to Racing 92 in 2013 and the latest issue could see the IRFU and Leinster agree to allow him some time off to get the injury right.
I’d like to think they’re relatively short-term (injuries),” Schmidt said.
“Robbie was pretty sore, he was pretty knocked about and that’s disappointing.
“Johnny, I got asked last week does he need a window of time to really make sure that he can be more robust and that’s probably one of the things that comes up for discussion now that this window is over.
“So some of those discussions will take place and we’ll have a clearer picture after that.”
Mid-career sabbaticals have become a growing trend in rugby and Australia’s David Pocock will take a year out of the game after playing England on Saturday. The likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw have also taken breaks in the past in a bid to prolong their careers.
Sexton will likely take a short break and be back in time for the Six Nations. Leinster will provide more clarity on the situation in the coming weeks.
