Johnny Sexton creates a “real positive attitude” when mentoring Ireland’s midfielders

Former captain Johnny Sexton has created a “real positive attitude” in the Ireland camp after returning to act as a part-time mentor.

The 39-year-old, who retired after last year’s Rugby World Cup, spent time with Andy Farrell’s team at their training base in Dublin ahead of this month’s autumn Nations Series.

As Ireland prepare to host New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia at the Aviva Stadium, Sexton is expected to make regular visits to the stadium to further pass on his knowledge.

Defense coach Simon Easterby said: “He will certainly be involved in the game over the next few weeks, coming in and out of the squad, providing support to some of the people in the squad.

“He is excited about the potential of what he can offer, as are we as coaches and players. It’s great to have him.

“He’s a great person, a great personality in the group. I think we’ll see how long he’ll be involved in the game over the next four weeks, but certainly once we see how involved he is.

“He has been and will potentially be in and out of camp over the next four weeks.

“The players loved it, his return to the game is encouraging.”

Ireland are currently working in Portugal to fine-tune their November schedule, which starts with a match against the All Blacks next Friday.

Upon their return, former half-man Sexton, who has worked in a management role at a glass and metal packaging company since retiring from his playing career, will be on hand to offer advice to the team, including number 10 Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast .

“Johnny, who only recently retired, is still very much on the pulse of playing in this tenth role,” Easterby said.

“Jack Crowley obviously spent time with us, Ciaran too, Sam less so.

“All these guys are like sponges, they want to learn, they want to understand, they want to gain knowledge and then go out and try to put it into practice.

“Johnny will be able to give them some pointers from time to time. When you rely on someone like him, with so much experience, sometimes all it takes is a few words here and there, a little tip and a little feedback, and that’s all it can be.

“But it’s something that teams can do more of: lean on players who are about to be out of the game, but at the same time have a huge amount of respect for them and can have a huge impact on new players as they move on to the next level.”