Rattled.

Ireland and Leinster outhalf Johnny Sexton has revealed that he really does care about what people think of him, and tries to avoid much of it because it “bothers” and “rattles” him.

Like any professional Sexton has his lovers and his haters, and because he plays in such a pivotal position for two of the rugby biggest teams in the world – he is very much under the microscope.

In the past Sexton has said it doesn’t bother him when he’s scrutinised, but in a revealing interview with Off The Ball, the 2018 World Player of the Year has admitted that’s not necessarily the case.

“I know you hear players say: ‘I don’t give a crap what they say’. But I do care what people think and say and that’s why I stay away from it because it bothers me so much and it rattles me.” Sexton said

“Sometimes it gets me fired up, sometimes it gets me down. And you think: ‘How can they think that? That’s not how it happened.’”

Sexton enjoyed his best every season last year both individually and collectively with Ireland and Leinster. But the 33-year-old says he perhaps enjoyed that season and the plaudits that came with it a bit “too much” in hindsight.

“I probably enjoyed it too much last year when it was good and I forgot what it was like to be on the other end of it. Then sort of in and around Christmas last year I found the other end of it pretty quickly after that Munster game.” Sexton added

“I haven’t picked up or looked at anything since then”

“That’s a mistake I probably made last year when things are going great you can fall into the trap of listening to the good stuff and when you listen to it and believe it then you have to believe it when it’s on the other side.”

You can watch Sexton’s excellent interview in full here.