Sexton: Steyn not a dirty player
Three-time winners Leinster raced into the European Champions Cup quarterfinals with an eight-try, 57-3 humiliation of Montpellier – who had Steyn red-carded for an illegal tackle on Sexton.
The Irish side, champions in 2009, 2011 and 2012, ensured top spot in Pool Four on 21 points – with a trip to Castres to come next week – where they will aim to guarantee a home tie in the last-eight.
Leinster were already 14-3 ahead by the 26th minute thanks to tries from skipper Isa Nacewa and flank Jack Conan.
But Montpellier's hopes were dashed when 2007 World Cup winner Steyn was sent-off for a head-high dangerous tackle on Sexton.
While Sexton lay pole-axed on the ground, the bearded 29-year-old Steyn, who had kicked the French side's only points, was red-carded despite his protests.
The near capacity crowd at the RDS held its breath when they saw Sexton in a heap on the floor after Steyn's head-high tackle in the 26th minute. But after a brief check-up he returned to action much to everyone's relief given his previous problems with concussion.
"It felt like a forward when Frans hit me," Sexton said.
"When I looked back at the incident on TV I expected it to be one of their back row forwards," added the No.10.
"I know Frans well and he's a good guy.
It looked as though I was ducking down into it a little bit, so it could have been accidental.
"But with these new laws you can't afford to be reckless.
"It was probably a yellow card before, but now it's a red.
"I felt for him because he's not a dirty player."
Sexton has become only the ninth player in European Cup history to score 500 points, but it wasn't that personal landmark that had the Ireland and British & Irish Lions flyhalf buzzing in Dublin.
It was the fact that Leinster became the first qualifiers for the Champions Cup quarterfinals that pleased him most – along with the thrilling brand of rugby.
"This is a great place to be again – we have turned the corner. Last season was disappointing in more ways than one and it is great to be back, and getting the RDS buzzing again," said Sexton.
"It was a pretty good performance, although going down to 14 didn't really help them. We had a plan to play at a high tempo and we came out and played into a pretty strong breeze in the first half and that forced our hand.
"Luckily we were prepared to try and run them off their feet. You could see that paying dividends in the second half, when they were tiring through playing with 14 men, and we scored some tries."
After their worst European campaign on record last season, when they lost twice at home and ended up bottom of their pool, Leinster's transformation this season has been remarkable. Having inflicted a record defeat on Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium (60-13) in Round 4, they did the same to Montpellier.
Last season's Challenge Cup winners are currently lying in third place in the TOP 14 but having lost a player to a red card for a third successive Champions Cup game this season, they picked up a stack of unwanted 'worsts'.
The 57 points they conceded were 16 more than the 41 against Leicester Tigers in 2013 and the 54 point margin of defeat was more than double their previous worst of 25 against Bath in 2014. The eight tries they conceded were three more than ever before and the seven conversions were also three more.
"It's not by accident that you see everyone wanting to get the ball in their hands. Stuart Lancaster has come in and had a big influence on the style of rugby," added Sexton.
"This is the stuff we practice every day in training, the unstructured part of our game. We spend time on our off-loading game, so it's not by chance or a fluke – it is being worked on every day.
"Stuart has had a great influence on us and the whole organisation and it is a great place to be again. You could see the crowd at the end – that's why we've got to perform next week and bring a quarter-final home to these supporters."
In the two seasons of the new format of five pools, 21 points has been enough to guarantee a home quarter-final. But Sexton doesn't want to leave anything to chance in Castres next week and wants another win to put the issue beyond doubt.
"We have to go back to the standards we set at the start of the season, those values and goals we have. We need to live by them as much this week as we have in previous weeks," said Sexton.
"I have had to sit through some good performances this season and I am mad keen to get back out there next week and put in another good performance. I know there were some players who sat out this week to protect some niggles and they will have to come in next week and perform."
Source: @ChampionsCup
