John Cooney admits he found it difficult to play alongside Johnny Sexton when they were together at Leinster.
The scrum-half played alongside Sexton early in his career – and then more recently at Test level.
In a Tackle Your Feelings interview with fellow Ireland international Jack Carty, Cooney said he was pleased that, when they were Connacht team-mates, Carty took on board the scrum-half’s request that he deliver positive messages.
Asked if he felt the reason why his partnership with the famously demanding Sexton didn’t click, Cooney replied: “When I first started playing with Leinster I did find it quite difficult with the way he kind of spoke to me.
“We did play a bit with Ireland. I don’t know, I won’t really expand on that too much.
“It’s not really the type of communication I enjoy as a rugby player. I prefer the positive attitude... no-one wants to make mistakes, it’s something I have learnt in how I communicate with other players.
“I want them to work hard, and if they don’t work hard, I’d be the first on them. We’re all there trying to be as good as we can so I’d be more sensitive to that.
“But he (Sexton) is not the only out-half I’ve played with that acts like that. I’m sure through maturity most players, as they get older, realise the way they can communicate with players.
“Everyone is different. There’s different ways to get the best out of people and it’s probably something I’ve learned through the last couple of years, is that different players respond to different ways.”
