Joe Schmidt: Johnny Sexton's foray abroad made him less resilient
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has used Johnny Sexton as an example of why Irish rugby players should not move abroad.
Schmidt faced the media to explain his decision to axe Simon Zebo ahead of the Munster man’s impending move to an as-of-yet unnamed French Top 14 club.
Schmidt feels players can learn lessons from Sexton’s stint in Paris, he spent two years at Racing 92 between 2013 and 2015.
The Kiwi claims Sexton has never been able to show the same "resilience" since arriving back to Leinster two years ago.
The head coach says decision to leave out Zebo is not the IRFU policy but rather an unwritten rule that is used to protect the game in Ireland:
"There is no policy. There is only an intention from the IRFU to best protect the provinces and the local game.
"We believe that the best way to do that is to select from within Ireland. The other real advantage for us that selecting within Ireland, the players are better managed.
"There's one player who went to Racing and was played for the first 12 games in the season, and I'm not sure he's ever had the same resilience since then.
"We’re looking to manage our players we’re looking to add to the longevity of our players."
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