Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has expressed his immense pride in the Irish team despite their narrow defeat to New Zealand in Paris on Saturday night.
The epic contest, decided by fine margins, will be remembered forever. However, for Ireland, it marks another missed opportunity to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time in their history.
The loss also means it's the end of Johnny Sexton's tenure in an Ireland jersey after 117 caps for his country.
Speaking after the game, the Leinster and Ireland star stated that the last two years were the most enjoyable of his Ireland career.
"How can you be prouder to be Irish when you see what's happened over the last six weeks, really?" he said. "The last couple of years have definitely been, in a green jersey anyway, the most enjoyable of my career. Definitely."
Reflecting on the game, Sexton lamented Ireland's failure to convert a try from the maul near the end of the game, describing it as hard to take.
"It is just gutting."
"It has been a dream come true."
Jonathan Sexton speaks to @ashoreilly after Ireland's loss to New Zealand.@VodafoneIreland | #TeamOfUs
Join in the obsession ⬇️https://t.co/bhKYWgdCve pic.twitter.com/HKkWbXMULH— Off The Ball (@offtheball) October 15, 2023
"It's gutting that we couldn’t finish it off. Going back to that maul, when you’re over the line, it’s tough to take. Just a kick, if you’re chasing a penalty, it’s a lot easier at the end, but we left it all out there at least. I thought we had them a couple of times. Obviously, to concede the turnover when we were so close to the line was gutting."
Ireland's fans received praise throughout the tournament, and Sexton specifically mentioned the supporters in the stadium and abroad who stood by the team during this World Cup in France. He also believes the group will bounce back from this setback.
"We [the Irish] get behind the team like no other. It's incredible and it’s not wasted on us, and that’s why it is so hard to take really, that we didn’t give them another couple of weekends. But like Faz [Andy Farrell] said, it’s small margins, and that’s sport. That’s life.
"It’s unfortunate, but this group will bounce back. They are an incredible bunch led by the man beside me. It’s the best group I have ever been a part of. Bar none. These guys will go on and achieve great things, and I’ll be sitting in the stand having a pint like you lads."
