SEXTON JUST THE START?

There was no shortage of rumours floating about this month. Rumours that Jonny Sexton was going to leave Leinster and head off to France to play for Racing Metro. Nobody really believed them – nobody thought that he would actually consider leaving his boyhood club, especially when they are one of the most successful in Europe.

However, on Friday the incredible was confirmed – Jonny Sexton will not be playing club rugby in Ireland next season. Since he was unable to agree a new central contract with the IRFU, he will leave Leinster, and it is likely he will be plying his trade in France for the 2013/2014 season.

And he leaves Ireland to mixed views…

Provincial problems

You may think this doesn’t affect Ulster. Wrong. This could affect Ulster a lot.

Sexton is the first “big name” Irish player to head overseas in the prime of his career. Back in 2008 there were rumours that Brian O’Driscoll was signing for Biarritz, but they never amounted to anything. But this move has certainly ruffled a few feathers in the rugby world – and not only in Ireland.

For the past few years we’ve watched the Welsh exodus. Players such as Lee Byrne, Gethin Jenkins and Aled Brew heading off across the English Channel to France to try and further their careers, and since then Welsh regional rugby has declined dramatically. It is still ongoing with Dan Lydiate, Jamie Roberts and Toby Faletau announcing they will all be departing Wales at the end of the season to unnamed clubs.

The worry now is that the same could happen in Ireland.

Sexton has bucked the trend, so to say. Before now, a player declining a central contract would have been unheard of. But this could be the spark that ignites the flame. If one player moves and enjoys his time over in France, then he’ll recommend it to other Irish players who are considering the move. There is a certain domino effect that will come into play, and could be a big problem for the heads at the IRFU.

This is where it may affect Ulster. If some of Ulster’s big stars like Stephen Ferris or Rory Best see how well Sexton does in France, they may think to themselves, “I want some of that,” and suddenly Ulster will have to cope with their departures. Now, obviously this is all speculation, but if Wales is anything to go by then this could happen. However, you’d like to believe that Ulster’s players are loyal to the end and will see out their careers in Belfast.

Back to Leinster though and their woes don’t end there – this week they’ve also lost promising winger Andrew Conway to Munster and Springbok prop Heinke van der Merwe to Stade Francais. Combine that with being knocked out of the Heineken Cup, it’s been a pretty bad week for the Dubliners.

And rumours would suggest it may get worse before it gets any better…

Six Nations preview

With no Pro12 or Heineken Cup action to entertain us, we may as well turn our attention to the Six Nations and how it will turn out this season:

ENGLAND

Coach: Stuart Lancaster
Captain: Chris Robshaw
Stadium: Twickenham, London
Last season: 2^nd

England are a robust side and will take their great win over the All Blacks into this tournament. They will be very hard to beat and few sides will wish to face them needing a win. With the fixtures they have this season, as much as I don’t want them to, I feel they will have enough to win the tournament, but not the Grand Slam.

Prediction: 1^st

FRANCE

Coach: Phillippe Saint-Andre
Captain: Pascal Pape
Stadium: Stade de France, Paris
Last season: 4^th

France are always a classy team and really enjoyable to watch, but quite often that doesn’t always lead to the right results. Their away form is patchy too and it’s not unheard of for a French team to fall to a shock away loss. They have too much talent in their ranks to not be competitive, but they should just be beaten to it by England.

Prediction: 2^nd

IRELAND

Coach: Declan Kidney
Captain: Jamie Heaslip
Stadium: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Last season: 3^rd

Ireland are hard to predict this year. Unless Declan Kidney gets his act together and learns to drop the old guard then Ireland won’t get anywhere. With the fixtures they have this could be a good year for the Irishmen, but I fear with the team that will play it won’t be enough to even finish in the top half.

Prediction: 4^th

ITALY

Coach: Jacques Brunel
Captain: Sergio Parisse
Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Last season: 5^th

Jacques Brunel said last week that Italy aren’t the whipping boys of a few years ago. Unfortunately the games they stood a chance in are away from home and that should contribute to yet another season without a win in the Six Nations. Brunel is right on one aspect though – sides should not underestimate them, or they will be punished.

Prediction: 6^th

SCOTLAND

Coach: Scott Johnson
Captain: Kelly Brown
Stadium: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Last season: 6^th

After a superb win over Australia in the summer, Scotland haven’t really pushed on and then lost to Fiji in Aberdeen, costing Andy Robinson his job. Scott Johnson has taken over, but he’s simply joining a sinking ship. The fact that they play Italy at home is the only thing that will keep them from finishing last.

Prediction: 5^th

WALES

Coach: Warren Gatland
Captain: Sam Warburton
Stadium: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Last season: 1^st – Grand Slam winners

Wales have fallen a long way from the Grand Slam winning side from last season. The players aren’t that different, but their confidence has been hit badly after a highly unsuccessful autumn series. If they can return to the form they showed last season then they stand a chance of winning the tournament, but their fixtures may prove too difficult to win them all.

Prediction: 3^rd