Jack Conan says failing to give Johnny Sexton a fairytale farewell at the Rugby World Cup was arguably the most painful aspect of the “toughest” defeat of his career.
Captain Sexton was sent into retirement two games earlier than he had hoped by Saturday evening’s crushing 28-24 quarter-final loss to New Zealand in Paris.
Leinster number eight Conan, who came off the bench against the All Blacks, believes his long-term team-mate for club and country is the “greatest Irish player of all time”.
“I’ve lost a lot of big games in my career but this is definitely the toughest one to take,” he said.
“It’s not lost on us how much sacrifice people made to come and support us. Whether you were here or at home, it has meant the world to all of us and it’s something we spoke about a lot.
“We’re genuinely just gutted that we couldn’t do it for them and that we couldn’t do it for Johnny, someone who deserves so much for the sacrifices he has made, for the player he is and for the man he is, for the leader that he is.
“He has been everything that has been good about Irish rugby for nearly two decades and to not give him the send-off that he deserves is probably the hardest thing to take.
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“He is how we measure ourselves, he is the standards setter, he is the leader, he is an unbelievably good bloke on and off the pitch.
“It might be lost on people at times but he cares more than any player I have ever met in any sport I have seen.
“He cares so much and he sacrifices so much and it doesn’t feel right that we couldn’t do it for him.
“In my eyes, he is the greatest Irish player of all time for what he has done and it’s been an incredible joy of mine to play with him for so many years and to have been in so many dressing rooms with him. It’s just not right that we couldn’t do better for him.”
Sexton’s 118th and final match in the green jersey marks the end of an era for Ireland.
Keith Earls is also retiring, while question marks hang over the international futures of other senior members of Andy Farrell’s squad.
Conan intends to carry on but concedes he may not be around for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
“There’s so much talent in the squad and so much belief, maybe in four years’ time we’ll push on and we’ll go all the way,” said the 31-year-old.
“I don’t know if I’ll be there at that stage but there’s just so much talent coming through and lads will push on to make their debuts and add value to Irish rugby.
“You can’t take (away from) what this squad has done, so many firsts: first Test match victory in New Zealand, first Test series win in New Zealand, first Grand Slam at home, and it’s been a joy to be a small part of it along the way.
“I wouldn’t trade anything for what we’ve been through as a squad. It’s tough to say now but you’d have to think that we’ll be better down the line.
“There will be new faces and new people coming in who will get opportunities to push us forward and I’m hoping I can be a part of it and go on to achieve more, because it’s the greatest joy in my life to pull on this jersey and wear it for the people that helped me to get here to this stage.”
