Johnny Sexton offers drastic life advice to Sam Prendergast & Jack Crowley based off experience duelling Ronan O'Gara
JOHNNY SEXTON has advised Ireland's rival out-halves to get off social media.
Sexton knows a thing or two about the level of scrutiny which comes from the territory, from his tussle with Ronan O'Gara for the no 10 shirt in the early part of his career.
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Sam Prendergast helped Leinster to secure victory in the URC Grand Final on Saturday
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While Jack Crowley showed plenty of resolve in Munster's contentious penalty shootout loss to Sharks in the quarter-finals
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Sexton is very well placed to offer them advice
Credit: PA
Now, the attention on Sam Prendergast, 22, and 25-year-old Jack Crowley - neither of whom made the Lions squad - has been amplified in the digital age.
Sexton said: 'I've worked closely with them through the Six Nations and I've done a couple of sessions with them beyond the Six Nations.
'They're remarkable talents, huge futures ahead of them.
'The life of a 10 is up and down. No matter what player you look at over the years, they've had periods where they've been amazing, they've had periods when they've not been.
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'They're just so young. You've got to give them a chance to learn and experience these things, but the level that they are producing already in their careers is amazing really.
'They're so far ahead of where I was and they've got the world at their feet with the work ethic that they have.
'They're humble guys, they do want to learn, they want to practise hard and that's the thing that you look at the most as a coach.
'One thing I disagree with is some of the narrative around it in terms of there's obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster-Leinster and I've been there before.
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'I've been in that situation and with social media getting bigger and bigger it's tough on them at times and it shouldn't be like that.
"We should be supporting whoever's picked and getting fully behind them. I told them to delete social media.'
Inside Leinster's boozy celebrations as stars dance on team bus while leaving Croke Park as URC champs
Sexton admitted he was unsure if they had followed his advice or if the criticism had got to them.
He said: "I don't know. You can sometimes get a sense. I'm not sure. I really am not.
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"All you can do is try and advise in terms of what worked for me. I was exposed to it a little bit at the very start and it's tough, isn't it?
'As a kid, as a seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old, all you want to do is play for Ireland and, when you do it, suddenly you're getting criticised.
'Not all the time but sometimes and it's kind of, 'wow, this is a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be' but it builds resilience.
'You find out who are your mates, who are those that you trust and who are those that you can lean on. I think they'll be stronger for it.'
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