BORDEAUX, France — Jonathan Sexton was bent over, clutching his left wrist, and Ireland and its supporters held their breath.
Uh oh.
Ireland’s prized asset in their determined bid to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time was playing his first match in six months on Saturday and appeared in pain.
Sexton had turned casually to flop between the posts for a try and braced his fall with his left arm - the same arm that Romania back Jason Tomane, too late to spoil the try, slid in and slammed.
Sexton hung behind the posts, rubbing his wrist. Then the flyhalf converted his try and all was OK, as was Ireland in a record-setting 82-8 win against Romania.
The 82 was Ireland’s highest World Cup score, and second highest all time. Ireland also extended its record-long winning streak to 14 tests.
PHOTOS: Sexton returns and leads a record-setting day for Ireland at Rugby World Cup
But this Pool B match was all about Sexton, sidelined since the Six Nations Grand Slam-clinching win over England in March.
A groin injury and suspension had kept him off the field, but as soon as he kicked off at Stade de Bordeaux he became Ireland’s oldest World Cup player at 38.
His two tries and seven conversions from eight attempts gave him a personal haul of 24 points, his most ever in 114 tests. That haul took him past Ronan O’Gara for most World Cup points by an Irishman, and closed him within nine points of O’Gara’s Ireland points record of 1,083.
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