Joy of Johnny Sexton is on the point of being globally appreciated | Robert Kitson

Ireland’s fly-half is in pole position to break the run of six successive New Zealand world players of the yearWorld Rugby will be announcing its male and female players of 2018 in Monaco on Sunday. When the shortlists were first published there was still a faint element of doubt about the men’s winner. Not any more. If Johnny Sexton, the sole European contender, is somehow edged out there will be uproar in both hemispheres.No disrespect to Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane of New Zealand, or the Springboks duo Faf de Klerk and Malcom Marx, but Sexton has pulled so far ahead of the field he is n…