Sexton was part of Ireland's pre-tournament training camp in Portugal, and while imparting his wisdom on the fly-halves has been a key responsibility, Goodman says he has also been assisting the coaches and Caelan Doris, who replaced Peter O'Mahony as captain in November.

"For us coaches, he's got such a great eye on the game," added Goodman, who worked with Sexton at Leinster.

"Personally, myself, I run things past him and I love him because he's honest and he'll provide his own opinion on things and that always leads to discussion and debate and then ultimately you get a really good spot.

"I'm using him a lot, he's got a great eye for the game and hopefully he can continue in that role for as long as possible."