Johnny Sexton’s vow ahead of final Six Nations campaign

The Ireland captain will lead his side at the Principality Stadium tomorrow (KO: 2.15) and says he wants to go out at the top of the sport in 2023.

Sexton's side go into the campaign as the world's number one side and are the competition favourites and he believes things are different now than they were four years ago when things began to fall apart for Ireland in a World Cup year.

"The young fellahs help me, if I didn't enjoy being around them and being part of their team I wouldn't do it," Sexton told Virgin Media.

"They're the biggest factor.

"The other motivation is to try and go out at the top.

"I don't want to get dropped, I want to go out playing for Ireland.

"That's the motivation, what gets me out of bed every day and those two factors really.

"Family, giving them the memories that you give them of coming to the game. Whether it's your mother and father, brother and sister or your kids, it gives them memories as well."

The spectre of 2019 looms large for Ireland who went into that Six Nations on top of the world after their historic 2018 success, but were derailed on the opening day by England.

"How we're doing things now is very different to how we did it then," Sexton said.

"That's no sleight on what we did back then, everyone is a genius in hindsight and at the time we trusted that process, in ourselves and what we were doing.

"We just didn't get the results and performances we wanted to.

"That's life. Whether it was a little bit of form, guys not bouncing back from injuries, guys getting comfortable... I don't know.

"There's been so much feedback, but what's important now is to take little bits of learnings and then just keep evolving with this team."

A title and a World Cup success are high on Sexton's agenda as he hailed a "special" group of players.

"I don't think I'll ever lose that motivation," he said.

"Even if I drag the arse out of it even more, I don't think I'd lose that.

"Getting the most out of ourselves as a team, this team as much as any I've been involved with, we started on a journey four years ago and it'll finish this year for this group. Next year is a new group, a new cycle.

"It's a very special group.

"Getting to our potential, we don't know what that is but we don't think we're there yet. We keep trying to find those extra 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 per cents to try and find it."

For all that he is focused on the here and now, Sexton's mind does wander to life after rugby frequently.

"Every day, it probably occupies 50pc of my thoughts.

"It's all I've known for 20 years, rugby has been such a big part of my life since I was six or seven.

"It's a bit daunting, but that's the other motivation.

"You want to leave every last drop out there, not have any regrets.

"I've heard of past players retiring and not wanting the team to do well. That's natural, but I want to be in a space that I've finished and I've done everything I could and then I can support the lads."

"Every day, it probably occupies 50pc of my thoughts.

"It's all I've known for 20 years, rugby has been such a big part of my life since I was six or seven.

"It's a bit daunting, but that's the other motivation.

"You want to leave every last drop out there, not have any regrets.

"I've heard of past players retiring and not wanting the team to do well. That's natural, but I want to be in a space that I've finished and I've done everything I could and then I can support the lads."