Ireland's Simon Easterby has revealed that former Ireland captain and legendary out-half Johnny Sexton has not been brought into the Ireland setup just to be a consultant to the fly-halves in the squad.

The Irish team begins their Autumn Nations Series against New Zealand next week, and Sexton has returned to add his experience and expertise to the team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation in the No. 10 position, Sexton has been convinced to come back to the Irish team in a short-term role.

While Sexton isn’t a coach in the traditional sense, Easterby stated that he will lend some of his experience and support to certain players.

“He has been involved for a few days when we were in the High Performance Centre,” explained Easterby in Portugal this week. “He’s definitely going to be involved over the next few weeks, transitioning in and out, lending his support to certain individuals within the team.

“I think Johnny, obviously having retired recently, still has his finger on the pulse, especially in the 10 role."

According to Easterby, Sexton's role goes beyond the intricacies of teaching players like Ciarán Frawley, Jack Crowley, and Sam Prendergast for the upcoming games. His goal is to help players understand how he and the team have played in recent years.

“It is about understanding what we do as a team and trying to impart some of that experience he’s gained over the last few years,” Easterby explained.

“And I know Jack Crowley’s had time with us, and so has Ciarán. Sam, less so, but I think all those guys are like sponges. They want to learn, understand, and gain know-how, then go out and put those things into practice. Johnny will just be able to give them a bit of guidance at times.”

Ireland’s opening game in the series is against New Zealand on Friday, November 8. They will then face Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, November 15, followed by Fiji on Saturday, November 23, and conclude with a match against Australia for Irish Rugby’s 150th Anniversary Test on Saturday, November 30 (kick-off 3:10 p.m.).

All of these matches will be broadcast live on Virgin Media in the Republic of Ireland and TNT Sports in the United Kingdom.