‘I do care’: Johnny Sexton responds to Rieko Ioane’s Instagram story

Former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has responded to Rieko Ioane’s Instagram story that reignited the perceived feud between the pair once again. Ioane recently took to social media in an effort to hit back at an extract from Sexton’s soon-to-be-released autobiography.

In the passage that was released by The Sunday Times, Sexton reflected on an exchange between the pair after last year’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final at Stade de France. New Zealand had just knocked Ireland out of the Cup with a 28-24 win.

Ireland’s dream of winning the Rugby World Cup for the first time was shattered, and Sexton’s distinguished rugby career also came to a close. While the match is considered one of the best knockout Tests in World Cup history, there was also some post-match controversy.

As the emotion of the occasion continued to course through the players’ veins, and as the significance of the result began to sink in, Sexton and Ioane were seen sharing words not long after Sam Whitelock secured a match-winning breakdown penalty.

But, it remained a mystery as to what exactly was allegedly said until recently.

“I couldn’t bring myself to watch the quarter-final back,” Sexton wrote in his autobiography. “I don’t think I ever will. I don’t need to. I’ve mentally replayed every second, over and over. It finishes the same way every time.

“… After (referee) Wayne Barnes blows the final whistle, (Ioane) says, ‘Don’t miss your flight home tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c**t.’ So much for the All Blacks’ famous ‘no dickheads’ policy. So much for their humility.

“I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f***er. I don’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.”

Ioane didn’t respond right away, but once the All Black did, the rugby world took notice. The 27-year-old shared a picture of himself and Sexton after last year’s quarter-final, with a joker card above his head and a house emoji below the now-retired Sexton.

But, that wasn’t all.

Zombie by the Cranberries became an anthem for Irish rugby fans during the World Cup, and Ioane used that to his advantage in this post. That very tune played over the image of Ioane and Sexton, with the song starting at the “in your head” part of the chorus.

Ioane’s reaction and the subsequent response from rugby fans around the world has been massive. It’s been a big talking point over the last week, and it certainly sets the stage for the All Blacks’ clash with Ireland in one month.

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But, Sexton was just trying to “protect” himself.

“I do care, like I do care,” Sexton said on BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly.

“But the most important is you, like you said, your teammates or the people in your country.

“I was a bit shocked by the reaction to that because I toyed with taking it out, putting it in, but the reason I put it in was not giving out like, this is just what happened.

“A certain part of me was just trying to protect because I got criticised after the game for my reaction, because people thought, ‘Oh, here’s your man being a sore loser again.’ But they didn’t see what set me off.

“It was just me explaining why.

“I remember texting Joe (Schmidt) after the game and I said, ‘Look, I know it looked bad me chasing your man after the final whistle but this is what happened, I’m sorry for my reaction.’

“That’s the only reason I put it in. I didn’t do it to kick things off… I don’t really mind that it happened, you know what I mean, this is just why I reacted.

“That’s why, through the book really, it’s sort of just explaining at that moment, this is what I thought.”