Johnny Sexton has been bestowed with an immense honour just one day after undergoing surgery for a facial injury.
The injury occured against Connacht at the weekend and has thrown Sexton's participation in this Spring's Six Nations tournament into doubt.
The Ireland captain however was in decent enough health to attend a ceremony where he was conferred with honorary lifetime membership to the Royal Dublin Society.
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The award has been handed out since 1981 and is given to people who have made a 'significant contribution to Ireland and Irish life.'
"The RDS was delighted to confer Honorary Life Membership to @JohnnySexton this morning. Since 1981, when Honorary Life Membership was first introduced, the Society has conferred the honour on people who have made a significant contribution to Ireland and Irish life #RDSHonLifeMem" read a Twitter statement.
Leinster have made the RDS Arena their home since they moved there permanently during the 2007/08 season.
Sexton made his Leinster debut in January 2006 and has gone on to win over 100 caps for Ireland. He has also represented the British and Irish Lions on the 2013 and 2017 Tours of Australia and New Zealand.
With his home province, Sexton six league titles, four Champions a Challenge Cup in his 16 years in blue.
For Ireland, Sexton has made 109 appearances and has scored 1,015 points. He is second in the all-time Irish scoring charts behind Ronan O'Gara, who finished his international career in 2013 with 1,083 points to his name.
The 37-year-old has also won 3 Six Nations Championships and a Grand Slam title for the national side. Just last year, he skippered the side as they won a test series against the All-Blacks in New Zealand.
Sexton has stated his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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