Johnny Sexton Admits He Was Surprised At Simon Zebo’s Decision To Leave Munster

Johnny Sexton has admitted Simon Zebo’s decision to leave Munster has surprised him.

The Munster winger turned fullback revealed this week that he would be leaving the province at the end of the season to reportedly take up an offer in Paris with French giants Racing 92. The move will see him link up with former teammates Ronan O’Gara and Donnacha Ryan.

Sexton is no stranger to France, or Racing 92 having spent two seasons there. But has admitted he expected his Ireland colleague to stay with Munster.

“Simon is a big part of Munster,” he told RTÉ Sport.

“He’s a big character in the dressing room . I was surprised to hear that he left, but I don’t know the circumstances.

“I don’t know if contracts were brought into it, or if he just wanted to try something different for a few years.

“It’s hard to make a judgement. There are different circumstances for every person.

In terms of international selection while playing abroad, Sexton so far has been the only exception to the rule. While he doesn’t believe it to be set in stone, Sexton believes that he will remain the only exception, with Zebo’s international career set to finish as soon as he moves.

“I don’t know if it’s set in stone, but it seems like they are not going to pick guys that are playing abroad. I’m sure Simon had a very difficult decision to make, giving up his international career to move abroad.”

If Zebo does end up moving to Paris with Racing, Sexton expects the Cork native to thrive both on and off the field.

“He’ll be living in a great city if it is Paris. I’m sure he’ll love it.

“He’ll go well, but he will just have to be careful with all the bread, desserts and red wine flying around.

“Once he stays away from that, he’ll be alright.”