{"id":293728,"date":"2023-09-24T09:34:19","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T09:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=293728"},"modified":"2023-09-24T09:34:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T09:34:19","slug":"johnny-sexton-demands-ireland-make-it-count-after-win-over-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-demands-ireland-make-it-count-after-win-over-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Sexton demands Ireland \u2018make it count\u2019 after win over South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Johnny Sexton says beating defending champions South Africa is among Ireland\u2019s best Rugby World Cup wins but insists his team must push on and \u201cmake it count\u201d.<\/p>\n

Andy Farrell\u2019s men put one foot in the quarter-finals of the tournament by edging a classic Paris encounter 13-8 to register a 16th straight victory.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s top-ranked team have a two-week break before returning to Stade de France to complete their Pool B fixtures against Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve had some big wins in pool stages before, that\u2019s right up there,\u201d said captain Sexton.<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/h3>\n


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\u201cWhen you play against the reigning world champions, it\u2019s always going to be incredibly tough and it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t let us down in terms of the physicality of the game but I thought we fronted up and gave some good stuff ourselves in that regard.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s right up there but we\u2019ve got to make it count now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got some time off this week with the bye week, then we regroup and we\u2019ve got to back it up against Scotland and make sure we do the business to get out of the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack Hansen\u2019s first-half try, plus five points from the boot of Sexton and a late Jack Crowley penalty moved the Six Nations champions within touching distance of the knockout stages.<\/p>\n

South Africa remained in contention until the final whistle through Cheslin Kolbe\u2019s score and a Manie Libbok penalty but paid a heavy price for some wayward goal kicking.<\/p>\n

Ireland were roared home by an estimated 30,000 Irish fans on an unforgettable evening in the French capital.<\/p>\n

Veteran fly-half Sexton felt the \u201cinsane\u201d support was a vital factor in securing a statement victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some big days before in terms of results in the pools but I\u2019ve never ever seen a crowd like that,\u201d said the 38-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone said there was 30,000 fans but there was no way it was 30,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t surprise me if there was 60,000 and they were insane throughout. They gave us the lift that we needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s not lost on us. We talk about it a lot, about inspiring those people that put their hand in their pocket week after week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey probably saved for four years to come here and it\u2019s something we refer to all the time and I mean that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play for them and they gave us the edge, fair play to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi urged his side not to dwell on the disappointing result as they seek to bounce back in a crucial clash with Tonga.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intensity of the game was exactly what we needed for a lot of players that have never played at such intensity,\u201d said the flanker.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole atmosphere was amazing on the field but we know exactly what we need to do as a group.<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/h3>\n


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\u201cWe\u2019ve got to lift our heads, we\u2019ve got a big game coming and if we dwell too much on what happened, we will forget to perform next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to get through that one and then we can start thinking about afterwards. Tonga is an important game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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