“We got the victory over the USA, not in the manner in which we would have liked but there’s nothing productive to be gained from dwelling on the match,” Sexton wrote in his O2 World Cup blog.

“We can render the bonus point issue irrelevant over the next three matches.

“That’s the focus for the team starting with the game against Australia.

Despite this assertion however, it’s clear that the Leinster man has reflected on what went wrong last Sunday as he explains the obstacles he and his teammates had to contend with.

“Conditions were very stormy, excessive wind and driving rain for the most part but as a team we were hoping for a better display despite the elements.

“On a personal level it wasn’t one of my best games.

“The irony is that I had been kicking well in the warm-up but the wind changed direction on a couple of occasions during the match.

“I was happy with the manner in which I struck the first couple but less so with a couple of efforts after half-time.

“The stadium itself is quite open – it’s not encased by stands – and therefore wind tends to swirl as it sweeps through openings.

“Several of the top tier nations have pool matches in some of the smaller stadiums and if the weather doesn’t play ball then kicking conditions are a lot more difficult.

“It’s not an excuse just an observation. Much has been made of the ball by some commentators but there’s no problem there.”

Notwithstanding Ireland’s continued search for a satisfactory performance, Sexton insists the squad are in a positive frame of mind heading into what is sure to be the toughest game in the group stages.

“The mood is good, resolute as we prepare for Saturday’s game against Australia. We’ve moved to Auckland, which took about half a day and did some recovery work.”