Gatland Gives Strong Indication As To Who Will Start At 10 & 12 For Opening Test
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The combination we’ve all been waiting for.
Johnny Sexton will be given a chance to prove his worth against the Maori All Blacks on Saturday, with Warren Gatland naming him in the coveted 10 position.
The Ireland playmaker had a poor start to the tour agains the Provincial Barbarians and the Blues, but recovered well off the bench agains the Crusaders. Sexton was introduced to the fold earlier than expected due to a Jonathan Davies injury, and linked up well with Owen Farrell.
That was the first time we got a glimpse at the much talked about Sexton and Farrell 10/12 combination. Farrell has been ruled out of the game on Saturday with a quad injury, but is expected to be fit for the first Test. From what we can gather from Gatland, if Sexton shines on Saturday, we will get a Sexton/Farrell combo against the All Blacks.
“Johnny needs more rugby and we’re building on that,” said Gatland of Sexton.
“He was really good off the bench against the Crusaders the other day and the combination of 10 and 12 was pretty seamless.
“He was just down a little on confidence but he’s got a bit of his mojo back, and we wanted to give him a start against the Maori.”
Over to you Johnny.
