Ireland’s Johnny Sexton hails ‘brilliant’ Rory Best

The 36-year-old hooker is set to play his last Six Nations Championship game on Saturday when Ireland meet Wales in Cardiff. Best revealed on Saturday that he was almost certain the World Cup later this year would be the “end for me.” Twenty-four hours later he led his side to a 26-14 victory over France at the Aviva Stadium for what would be his and head coach Joe Schmidt last Six Nations Championship game in Dublin. That victory also kept slender hopes of retaining the Six Nations title on track. The Irish are looking to derail Wales’ Grand Slam Championship tilt by winning in the Principality and if Scotland were to beat England at Twickenham, Best would again be receiving the trophy. Vice captain Sexton hailed Best’s stewardship, insisting Ireland want to make the most of the rest of the Ulster star’s time at the helm. Asked to outline Best’s leadership qualities, Sexton replied: “Do you have half an hour? “Look I think he’s been a brilliant captain for us over the years. “Always team first, Always very selfless and leads on the pitch with his actions. “He leads off the pitch too and he’s a great character to have around. “Sometimes if the lineouts are not always going well, if the right decision is to go for the corner he’ll still say go to the corner, and he’ll take responsibility. “That’s the sign of a brilliant captain; he does what’s right for the team all the time. “We’ll miss him when he’s gone but we’ve got a lot of time left with him so we’ll make the most of it.”