JOHNNY SEXTON IS conspicuous by his absence on Racing Metro’s teamsheet for their important Top 14 clash away to La Rochelle today.

Sexton is not the only high-profile player on the bench for the French side, with Juandré Kruger, Eddy Ben Arous and Antonie Claassen also missing out.

The Irish international has been in fine form this year for his country, playing a pivotal role in their Six Nations triumph, however things have not gone as well in France.

The fly-half was involved in his side’s disappointing 28-19 loss to Parisian rivals Stade Français at Stade Yves du Manoir last week, and the decision to leave the player out may be a punishment for that performance.

Racing consequently dropped to sixth in the Top 14, inside the play-off spots, and with two important regular season games to play, it’s somewhat of a surprise to see Sexton being held in reserve today.

That said, the Ireland star only recently recovered from a thigh injury, so this would also likely have been a factor in the decision to leave him out today.

Champions Cup failings helped bring about this perfect Pro12 storm>Know your sport? Prove it by taking our big weekly quiz>