{"id":295556,"date":"2023-10-08T11:24:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T11:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=295556"},"modified":"2023-10-08T11:24:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T11:24:06","slug":"johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing<\/h3>\n

Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news<\/h3>\n

Thanks for signing up to the
Sport email<\/h2>\n

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton is braced to face a wounded New Zealand side plotting revenge in a mouthwatering Rugby World Cup quarter-final.<\/p>\n

Andy Farrell\u2019s men have topped the Test rankings since securing a landmark tour success against the All Blacks last summer.<\/p>\n

Ireland set up another meeting with the three-time world champions by dismantling Scotland 36-14 on Saturday evening in Paris to win Pool B ahead of South Africa.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CyHS77LIRbk<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve already said it\u2019s one that they want and when they\u2019re hurting and they want to put it right, that\u2019s the biggest challenge in rugby, to try and beat them when they\u2019re in that frame of mind,\u201d Sexton said of New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo teams will both be under pressure for different reasons and it will be who copes with that the best and who can put their game out there on the biggest day when the pressure is on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played New Zealand plenty of times and they\u2019ve come into some good form themselves over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a hell of a game and we just need to prepare right over the next few days and get the best performance we can out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fly-half Sexton, who is due to retire after the tournament, prolonged his career by at least one more week by leading his country to a thumping Stade de France success which eliminated Scotland.<\/p>\n

Ireland emphatically banished any fears of suffering their own early exit thanks to first-half tries from James Lowe and Iain Henderson, plus Hugo Keenan\u2019s double, before Dan Sheehan and Garry Ringrose added to the Scots\u2019 misery.<\/p>\n

While Farrell\u2019s side move on to a showdown with the All Blacks, the Springboks will take on hosts France in another tantalising last-eight clash.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CyHJ0DQoV0b<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always knew most likely we\u2019d play France or New Zealand,\u201d said 38-year-old Sexton. \u201cThere\u2019s no easy option there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll our focus was, \u2018let\u2019s win the pool\u2019. You don\u2019t pick and choose, you just do your best.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re exactly where we wanted to be in terms of we won the pool and now we\u2019re into the quarter-final.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ireland have injury concerns regarding wings Mack Hansen, Lowe and Keith Earls and lock James Ryan.<\/p>\n

Head coach Farrell feels there is more to come from his in-form team and urged his players to embrace the upcoming challenge, describing it as \u201cproper living\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think and neither do the team think that we\u2019ve played our best rugby yet,\u201d said the Englishman, following a 17th successive Test victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know where we want to go and want we\u2019re trying to achieve. Will we ever get there? I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s days like next week that\u2019s coming where we need to find out a little bit more about ourselves. These lads are certainly willing to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll treat this week, I\u2019m sure once we recover properly, with a spring in our step because if you can\u2019t get excited about what\u2019s coming\u2026this is proper living now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is exactly where you want to be and these boys have been waiting for opportunities, big games to show what they\u2019ve learnt for a while now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get any bigger than next week so we\u2019ll relish that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up …<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nJohnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Johnny-Sexton-Facing-All-Blacks-out-for-revenge-\u2018biggest-challenge-in-rugby.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/\",\"name\":\"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rugby Union\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/rugby-union\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sportstons\",\"description\":\"sportstons.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"Dennis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dennis\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons","og_description":"Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up …","og_url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/","og_site_name":"Sportstons","article_published_time":"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00","author":"Dennis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Johnny-Sexton-Facing-All-Blacks-out-for-revenge-\u2018biggest-challenge-in-rugby.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dennis","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/","name":"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019 - Sportstons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-08T11:24:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-union\/johnny-sexton-facing-all-blacks-out-for-revenge-biggest-challenge-in-rugby\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rugby Union","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/rugby-union\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Johnny Sexton: Facing All Blacks out for revenge \u2018biggest challenge in rugby\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/","name":"Sportstons","description":"sportstons.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"Dennis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dennis"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}