JohnnySexton

A two-time British & Irish Lion, Johnny Sexton will pass on all of his playing experience as a coach on the 2025 Tour of Australia.

Called up to join Andy Farrell's team less than two years after hanging up his boots, Sexton is an assistant coach for the 2025 Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Series.

Lion #791 Sexton played 14 times in the famous red shirt, across two Tours, during a glittering career for Ireland, Leinster and Racing 92.

The former Ireland fly-half started all three Tests against the Wallabies in 2013 and went on to face The All Blacks as many times in 2017.

First capped in 2009, Ireland fly-half Sexton spent the early part of his international career battling for the starting jersey with three-time Lion Ronan O’Gara.

The spearhead of Leinster’s three European Champions Cup winning sides, Sexton moved to France to play for Racing 92 for a couple of seasons in 2013.

That followed his first Lions Tour in 2013 when he started all three Tests in Australia as Gatland’s side claimed a 2-1 series victory. He played every minute of the first two Tests, and only came off in the final 17 minutes of the third with the result already beyond doubt.

By that time he had already scored a crucial try just before the hour as the Lions cut loose in the record 41-16 success.

He returned from the Tour to help Ireland to back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015, scoring four tries to finish as the joint top try-scorer in the former.

At club level he returned to Leinster in 2016, while he was also part of the Ireland team that beat New Zealand for the first time ever in the same year, in Chicago.

In 2017 Sexton missed the start of the Six Nations with injury but returned to lead Ireland past France in Dublin, scoring 14 points including a second-half drop goal.

Ireland’s Championship hopes were ended with defeat to Wales in Round Four but Sexton again pulled the strings to see them to a 13-9 win over champions England in the final game to deny the Red Rose a second successive Grand Slam.

Sexton followed that up with more impressive displays in a Leinster shirt to cement his place in Gatland’s squad to New Zealand.