Leinster CEO confirms Sexton offer
Leinster Rugby remain tight lipped on a possible return to former playmaker Jonathan Sexton, but their CEO Mick Dawson has confirmed that they have talked to him.
As we reported last week, Coach Matt O’Connor said that he was hoping to sit down with the Irish outhalf over the next few weeks.
His contract with French Top 14 club Racing Metro runs out at the end of the coming season.
Sexton has the option of an additional year with the Paris based club with some reports in France suggesting he had been offered a multi-year contract which would see the 29-year-old end his career in the French capital.
However, a major spanner was thrown in the works on Monday when the Irish Independent reported he had been offered a four year IRFU contract to return to Leinster.
However since then both the Irish Rugby Football Union and Leinster Rugby have been rushing to deny this.
However, speaking this afternoon as Bank of Ireland announced a new five-year sponsorship deal with the province, Leinster Rugby CEO Mick Dawson confirmed that he has been speaking to Sexton.
He said: "Myself and Phillip Browne have met with John, we have put our best foot forward.
"He’s been quoted in media saying he’s made up his mind so I presume that Racing and even Toulon are themselves putting their best foot forward.
"We hope that he can make up his mind pretty quickly and we will win this race."
It was made quite clear that Sexton was not happy to be leaving Leinster when first signing for Racing Metro ahead of the 2013/14 season with a finger of blame being pointed at the IRFU for not doing enough to keep him here.
Dawson says despite somewhat of a falling out between the two parties, talks had been going well.
“I think we both acknowledge that we both hadn’t handled the situation as well as we could have.”
“Look all that is behind us now and we just have to wait and see what Johnny says but talks have been friendly,” Dawson added.
In the height of a battle the IRFU faced earlier in the year with keeping players like Paul O’Connell, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien in the country, one and two year contracts were agreed, so do the IRFU have enough leeway to go above and beyond for Sexton?
Dawson refused to be drawn on speculation.
"I suppose initially we wouldn’t have thought to offer him four years but it does make sense to take him onto the next World Cup, so that’s on the table for John."
