Johnny Sexton has insisted he is “here to help” Finn Russell in his capacity as British & Irish Lions assistant coach, after the pair shook hands and cleared the air last month following the former Ireland captain’s previous criticism of the Scotland fly-half.
Sexton toured with the Lions in 2013 and 2017 but was a surprise omission from Warren Gatland’s squad in 2021. In his autobiography, the former Ireland captain revealed how the snub “kills me to this day” and described Russell as a “media darling” before suggesting in a subsequent interview that he was “flashy”.
Sexton, who retired after the 2023 World Cup, was added in April to Andy Farrell’s coaching staff for the tour of Australia this summer, making for a potentially awkward reunion with Russell, who is the favourite to start at fly-half in the three-Test series against the Wallabies.
The pair had a brief catch-up at the first squad get-together last month, however, with Russell explaining recently that the air had been cleared. “We ended up having a laugh about the whole thing,” Russell said. “I certainly don’t bear a grudge against him and we move on.”
Sexton is adamant that he will do all he can to assist Russell – who joined the Lions squad in Dublin on Monday after celebrating Bath’s Premiership final victory on Sunday – in the coming weeks.
“It’s probably been blown out of proportion, really,” he said. “I was talking about myself in 2021 and how I felt back then. And it was more really about what I thought Gatland was thinking as opposed to what I was thinking. But look, you have to deal with these types of challenges. It won’t be the last time. We had a handshake and a brief chat. He was racing off because those guys who were playing in finals didn’t stay too long.
“I’m looking forward to catching up with him [Russell] later. What the Lions demands of you is that if there is a rivalry – which there’s not, but if there was – you leave it at the door. I’m here to help him now. I’m here to give him experiences. I’m here to answer questions. I’m not here to force myself on him or tell him what to do. It’s not that relationship. I’m here to help.”
Along with Russell, Bath’s Will Stuart and Leicester’s Ollie Chessum have also joined the squad, as well as 12 Leinster players following their URC final victory, meaning only Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn is absent from the 38-man touring party. Tadhg Furlong, who has not played since early May, joined training on Monday, while Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park sat out the morning session along with James Ryan, who went off with a back injury on Saturday.
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After providing cover last week at the training camp in Portugal, Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour are due back in England’s training camp on Tuesday and will not be considered for the Lions’ warm-up match against Argentina on Friday. Henry Arundell has been omitted from the England squad preparing for the match on Saturday against a France XV, however, having been called into training last week. Six Bath players and three from Leicester have been selected after the final last Saturday, including the man of the match, Guy Pepper.
Owen Farrell meanwhile has completed his return to Saracens after just a season with Racing 92. The 33-year-old has joined on an initial two-year deal before making the expected move to the coaching staff at his boyhood club after Saracens agreed a compensation package of around €200,000 (£170,000).
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