Leinster fell to a woeful third defeat in a row in the Champions Cup with a 24-9 defeat to Toulon at the Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday. L'Equipe used Johnny Sexton as the epitome of Leinster's lack of direction during the game.
The French newspaper said, “Sexton, the idol of Ireland, who returned home, yesterday played as he often did during his time at Racing 92: transparent, making multiple poor decisions. Visibly, completely out of touch, he symbolises the impotence of his club".
Leo Cullen's side now face almost certain elimination from the competition and, while Sexton kept the Irish side in it with his three penalties in the first half, the boos and whistles from the home support were sure to make every kick that little bit more difficult.
His kicking from the hand was poor and there seem to be question marks regarding his place in the team and whether Cullen would be better off dropping his number 10 at the moment.
Sexton missed a penalty early in the second half, which would have given Leinster the lead, but another yellow card two minutes later would put to bed any chances of Ireland gaining momentum and contemplating a comeback.
L'Equipe wrapped up their report with a particularly stinging dig, as they stated that, "as in 2013, the Irish certainly won’t see the knock-out phase of the tournament. In the Celtic League, they are currently fourth, seven points behind Llanelli. The season is in danger of being a long one in Dublin".
Via The Irish Times
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