Lions Teammate Jumps To The Defence Of Johnny Sexton After Poor Performance

Johnny Sexton will prove his “world-class” abilities in New Zealand despite a poor opening performance according to teammate Greig Laidlaw.

The Ireland playmaker has come in for some heavy criticism after a below-par performance against the Provincial Barbarians on Saturday. Sexton was replaced after just 48 minutes by Owen Farrell, who made an instant impact.

He now has it all to do according to his critics, if he’s to make it into Gatland’s Test team. Laidlaw insists however that Sexton can recover from his poor start and display his best form in New Zealand.

“We know the class of Johnny, he is a world-class player,” said Laidlaw.

“For nines and 10s, we probably have the hardest job trying to organise everything around us and concentrate on our own game.

“It’s always a little bit tougher and when the heat is on and everyone is looking to you to make the calls. Johnny will be back up and running next time he pulls on the jersey.

“The more you play together, the more he would know what I was going to do, just building the relationship. It’s about making sure you do that by practising hard in training going forward.”