Sticking around.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton looks set to sign a two-year contract extension that will keep him playing and on these shores until at least the summer of 2023.

The 35-year-old is out of contract in the summer with contract talks slow for all IRFU players due to the ongoing pandemic. Usually, deals are done by early January at the latest but the IRFU’s current financial situation has forced them to postpone talks.

Sexton will be 38 by the time his deal runs out and will be out of contract just before the Rugby World Cup in France should it go through. But it wouldn’t be a surprise if he signed an extension closer to that date, similar to Rob Kearney in 2019 to allow him to play in the tournament.

Sexton is hopeful a deal will be finalised in the next two weeks but his number one priority right now is a successful Six Nations tournament with Ireland.

“I don’t like to throw my goals out for everyone to hear them,” Sexton said this week.

“But, obviously, being captain for this campaign, I have big aspirations that this team does really well. To win a championship as captain would be brilliant.

“There’s lots of stuff and, for me, it’s about taking it one campaign at a time. I’m properly focused on this one. And whether I stay on for another year, or two, I don’t know. Hopefully I’ll have something sorted in the next few weeks.

“Like I said, all my focus is on this campaign and trying to win it, trying to do a good job as captain and make sure we do better as a team… to win some silverware is where we want to be at the end of the tournament.”