Ireland's Sexton set for big money French move

LONDON (AFP) –

Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton kicks a penalty during a rugby union match on June 16, 2012. Sexton is set for a lucrative move to a French club after the Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed Friday he would be leaving European champions Leinster at the end of the season.

Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton is set for a lucrative move to a French club after the Irish Rugby Football Union confirmed Friday he would be leaving European champions Leinster at the end of the season.

Racing Metro are one of several Top 14 sides to have been linked with the goal-kicking playmaker and Leinster coach Joe Schmidt described the contract Sexton is said to have signed as “exceptional, even by French standards”.

Some reports have valued the deal at £640,000 ($1.011 million) per year over two seasons.

However, an IRFU spokesman told AFP that Sexton would still be considered for Test selection.

Ireland have never barred their overseas-based players from international rugby and the spokesman pointed out that Tommy Bowe, when he was with Welsh side the Ospreys, and Leicester’s Geordan Murphy had been capped while abroad.

The 27-year-old Sexton has won 34 caps and is a candidate to be the British and Irish Lions No 10 in Australia later this year.

“We are very disappointed — as we know the Irish rugby public will be — that Johnny will not be playing his rugby full-time in Ireland from next season,” IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said.

“Johnny is a major talent and his full-time presence in Ireland will be missed, particularly by Leinster.”

The IRFU have had a good record in keeping the bulk of their players at home, and this has been reflected in Munster and Leinster winning five out of the last seven European Cups between them.

Sexton, however, is the first senior Ireland regular to succumb to the kind of tempting offer from France that has proved so irresistible for many Wales players in recent seasons.

Irish chiefs have had to rebuff several attempts to take star centre and former skipper Brian O’Driscoll away from Leinster.

But they said they could not justify the amount involved simply to ensure Sexton stayed at home.

“We remained in the fight right up until the last possible moment to keep Johnny in Ireland with a very strong offer,” Browne said.

“But ultimately, following negotiations with the player’s agent, we had no option but to take the decision that it wouldn’t be in the best interest of Irish rugby to chase the reported financial incentives being offered.

“The IRFU has made a commitment to, and been largely successful in, keeping as many Irish players as possible playing full time in Ireland.

“However, we have always recognised that some of our players will be targeted by overseas clubs with offers which, quite simply, are not within our orbit.”

Sexton has been a key figure in all three of Leinster’s European Cup triumphs and provided the half-time speech that inspired their stunning comeback in the 2011 final against Northampton.