Playmaker Sexton is no Zlatan, says Toner

Ireland playmaker Jonathan Sexton is not an egotistical perfectionist like star Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic but a "down to earth guy", giant lock Devin Toner said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Sexton is seen as key to Ireland beating France and topping Pool D on Sunday, thereby avoiding a likely World Cup quarter-final against defending champions New Zealand. Indeed, Sexton has orchestrated the Irish to two wins in succession against the French, the first of those in 2014 sealed the Six Nations title in Paris and gained Ireland their first win on French soil in 14 years. Thus with impeccable timing French rugby newspaper 'Midi Olympique' published an interview on Monday with Laurent Labit, backs coach at Racing 92, the club where Sexton has spent the past two years, in which the difficulties of working with the Irishman was laid bare. "Several times I had to remind him that there are certain ways of expressing things," Labit told Midi Olympique. "Jonathan had the tendency to employ a rather forceful manner and use a colourful language in the heat of the moment. "Sometimes it bordered on insults... at some moments Jonathan was really uncontrollable." However, Labit does admit that Sexton's decision to return to his Irish province of Leinster was a failure on both sides. Toner, though, did not recognise either Labit's description of the Irish playmaker nor that of a Racing player who said off the record that Sexton was the "Zlatan Ibrahimovic of rugby" -- the big Swede having once been described unflatteringly by a French ex-teammate as an "egotistical perfectionist". "Well we couldn't even fathom that, he's not big-headed, he's a very down-to-earth guy," said Toner, who has played with Sexton at schools, province and Test level. "So we don't recognise that at all. "He's just another player with us, he's not big-time, he's the 10 who runs the show." Toner, who is battling to regain his first choice place in the second row alongside captain Paul O'Connell after some impressive performances by Iain Henderson, said Sexton would call players out for not being in the right position. Toner, who stands at an astonishing 6 feet 10 inches (2.08m) and earned the nickname 'Big Friendly Giant', said Sexton's drive and mouthiness on the pitch was a bonus not an irritant. "They (the French) mustn't have been used to that, but it's a hugely positive thing for the team," said Toner. "If lads aren't getting their roles right, but he's not going to do it for the sake of it, he'll be doing it because there's a reason behind it. "It will be because lads aren't in the right position or knowing their roles, so I think it's hugely positive for the team. "Again if I'm not in the right place and I hear someone screaming at me, I know I'm not in the right place. "And I'll think in my head 'I've got to get that right next time'. "You know when you've done something wrong." Toner added: "I don't know whether they're (the French) trying to paint it out as a negative picture or not, but it's 100 per cent not. "He drives the lads to be better, and you want to be better when you're playing with him." As to whether Sexton's hectoring does sometimes earn him a mouthful from an Ireland team-mate, Toner said of course there were occasions. "It has happened, but no examples really spring to mind to be honest," said Toner. "If it's a tight game lads would have a go back."