Finn Russell says he s buried Johnny Sexton hatchet as old rivals united in quest for British and Irish Lions glory

DUBLIN – Finn Russell insisted he no longer had any issues with Johnny Sexton after British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell helped ease any tensions between the duo in their quest for the common goal of a rugby series win in Australia.

Ireland great Sexton has previously criticised Scotland fly-half Russell as “flashy” and a “media darling”.

He also added he would select Owen Farrell – Andy’s son – at No. 10 in a three-Test campaign against the Wallabies because the former England captain is a “Test match animal”.

And in his autobiography, former Ireland fly-half Sexton wrote it “kills me to this day” that he was overlooked in favour of Russell for the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa.

Such comments had the potential to cause lingering tension given the now-retired Sexton is a member of Farrell’s staff as the Lions’ kicking skills coach, with Russell in line to be the chief playmaker for a team made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

But Russell said the issue was quickly dealt with when he joined the Lions’ squad.

“It’s just been bit of a craic, it was never a thing,” said Russell, who did not feature in the Lions’ warmup 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin on June 20.

“When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed, so that was good.

“Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don’t believe. We’re all here with the same goal, which is to win the series.

“I’ve only been here a few days but it’s been good working with Johnny. I’m happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he’s seeing...

“It’s good to have a guy with