Johnny Sexton slams 'crazy' and 'unprofessional' week under Warren Gatland

The Ireland legend has made his feelings on the Wales coach known in his new autobiography

Johnny Sexton has made another dig at Warren Gatland in his new autobiography as he slammed the 'unprofessional' and 'crazy' environment on a Lions tour.

The Ireland legend has made his true feelings on the Wales coach known in the book - entitled 'Obsessed: The Autobiography of Johnny Sexton' - and spoke honestly about his disappointment at missing out on selection for the 2021 tour of South Africa. In extracts published by the Sunday Times, Sexton revealed the snub "still kills me to this day" and that he still gets the urge to call Gatland and get answers on why he was left out.

He also admitted the pair "never had a very close relationship" and while he has praised the New Zealander as a "quality manager and selector", a further extract sees him criticise the conditions in the Lions camp under his watch in 2017, slamming their preparations as "crazy" and "unprofessional".

SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter for full insight into what's really going on behind the scenes.

The Lions headed to New Zealand that year and found themselves in with a chance of making history as they headed into the final Test with the series tied 1-1. A final showdown at Eden Park loomed, but team bonding took precedent in the days following the second Test, a move that Sexton has now dubbed "a bad idea".

While he admits that not all the blame can be laid at Gatland's door, the Irishman was less than impressed by what he experienced heading into the week of the final match against the All Blacks. Get the latest Welsh rugby breaking news by signing up to our free daily newsletter here.

"My biggest regret about that tour was what happened after Wellington, when we had some mandatory “bonding” for a couple of days down in Queenstown," he said. "This was a bad idea and I think it reduced our chances of making history.

"The bonding idea took root because the 2009 Lions went on the piss in their final week in South Africa and ended up winning the final Test. Big deal. That series was already over. The Springboks picked their second-string side for the last Test."

"I was fine with having a few beers the night of the second Test, recover Sunday, organisational meeting Monday, train Tuesday, off Wednesday, light run Thursday and so on," he added. "Instead we ended up training Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because we did virtually nothing except “bond” at the start of the week.

"We were supposed to be preparing for a series decider against the best team in the world at Eden Park. A shot at history. It was crazy. Unprofessional."

Sexton continued: "As a result, I don’t think those Lions maxed out on their potential, not with the athletes we had at our disposal. And I’m not pointing the finger solely at Gats here.

"I blame the senior players for not taking control of the situation and making sure we prepped properly. I include myself in that. We had enough experience in the group to speak up. I wish I’d said something."

Join the Wales Rugby WhatsApp community

The Wales Rugby breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community has launched - and thousands of fans have already joined. You can expect the day's top stories and major updates sent directly to your WhatsApp from our team - allowing you to stay up to date with all the latest Welsh rugby news for free.

All you have to do to join is click on this link , select 'Join Community' and you're in. We will not spam your feed with constant messages, but you will receive daily updates . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. We occasionally treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can read our Privacy Notice here.

JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY HERE

The Lions went on to tie the series following a 15-15 draw in the final Test. But Sexton wasn't impressed then either and, in his book, he goes on to accuse Gatland and his management staff for celebrating the tie like a series victory.

"In the circumstances, a 15–15 draw and a tied series felt more like a win to the Lions and was certainly greeted as one by the management team," he said. "I don’t know how you can set off on tour talking about winning in New Zealand and then celebrate a draw. But there you have it."

The extract also sees Sexton take issue with the amount of training sessions being held in the opening stages of the series. However, he reserves some praise for Gatland, saying he usually "liked the buttons he pressed" and respected him as a man manager.

"The only thing I had an issue with was the preparation in the week of that first Test," said the former Ireland fly-half. "Suddenly we were doing double sessions when I thought we should have been tapering down. I wasn’t the only one thinking this."

"It was actually unlike Gatland. What I liked about him was that he had a good sense of what players needed and wanted. I liked the way he talked, liked the buttons he pressed. I wouldn’t rate him as highly as Joe [Schmidt] or Faz [Andy Farrell] as a technical coach, but then those two are among the best ever.

"As a manager and a selector, I thought Gats was quality," he added. "He went up in my estimation, of course, when he picked me to start the second Test."