Sexton, a centurion and one of the best fly-halves in the history of the game, has won nearly everything with his province Leinster and his country Ireland. He was also a member of two previous Lions tours.
Many assumed Sexton would feature in a third tour in 2021, but Warren Gatland opted not to select the Dubliner for the South Africa tour. Dan Biggar, Finn Russell, and Owen Farrell were his preferred options at fly-half that year. A younger Marcus Smith was also called up after Finn Russell suffered injury issues.
The Lions lost to the Springboks 2-1, and since then, Sexton has gone on to win a Grand Slam, earn 100 caps, become Ireland’s all-time top points scorer, and achieve other team and individual honours.
After Sexton’s omission, Gatland admitted during the 2023 Six Nations that he "proved him wrong" during a tournament in which Sexton excelled.
“It was a big decision to leave him out of the last Lions tour. That was a tough call,” Gatland said.
“He has probably proved me wrong in terms of the way he’s been playing and the way he’s been leading Ireland. He should be proud of that—wwhat he’s achieved in the game is pretty special.
"He’ll go down as one of the great players of Irish rugby when he does decide to hang up his boots. I think he’s been playing some great rugby in the last year or so.”
Johnny Sexton's Lions Test debut ⭐️
22.06.13 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 21-23 🦁 pic.twitter.com/dzn6HgF590— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) April 15, 2024
Sexton’s new book delves into his thought process after being omitted. The former Ireland captain admits that despite Gatland’s comments, they don't put his mind at ease. The Irish legend also shared that he was convinced Gatland would select him before the Kiwi dropped the bombshell decision not to.
“Does the fact that Gatland admitted he got that selection call wrong make me feel better? No,” Sexton says in an extract from the book.
“We’d never had a very close relationship, but I was convinced he would bring me, based on the fact that we had been successful on previous tours. Gatland has always said that the Six Nations form was his main selection guide, and I had finished the Six Nations strongly. Our performance in the final game, when we gave England a 32–18 spanking in the Aviva, was a turning point for the team."
Sexton also acknowledged that his concussion issues during that year’s Six Nations and the Champions Cup didn’t help his cause in making history when it came to a third Lions tour.
“It didn’t help that I suffered a second concussion two months after Cardiff [in the Six Nations]. This was in Exeter, in a Champions Cup quarter-final. Dave Ewers, their flanker, absolutely emptied me — the heaviest hit that I’ve ever taken. It was a shoulder to the chest, causing a whiplash so violent that it damaged my inner ear,” Sexton added.
“This was mid-April, three weeks before the European Cup semi-final in La Rochelle, and four weeks before Gats announced his Lions squad. The day after Exeter, the only part of the HIA I was failing was the tandem test, where you walk with one foot immediately in front of the other, eyes closed, arms by your side. As soon as I closed my eyes, I lost my balance.”
