Cian Healy insists Johnny Sexton's presence means there is no prospect of complacency infecting the Ireland squad as they approach Saturday's Grand Slam contest with wounded England in Dublin.

But he says that simply won't happen with Sexton still driving the Irish.

"We get absolutely torn into when we don't (reach Sexton's standards)," said Healy of the Ireland skipper, 37.

"Johnny's standard is so high and it has been for so long that it just drives something special in him.

"He lives for that successful feeling after a game. The Johnny you see after a game is the most enjoyable Johnny to be around, it's a different person, it's class.

"If anything is going to make me play better, it's to get to meet that Johnny for a while," joked Healy of Sexton, who will become the Six Nations' top points scorer if he moves ahead of the 557 tally he now shares with another Ireland fly-half great Ronan O'Gara.

Like Sexton, Healy has already won three Six Nations titles, including the Grand Slam in 2018 in his 122-cap international career.

However, Sunday's win over Scotland was an international first for the Leinster prop as injuries to hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher meant he had to move into the unfamiliar middle role in the front row of the Ireland scrum although the throwing duties in the lineout were taken by flanker Josh van der Flier.

Prior to Sunday, Healy reckons that the last time he had operated in the centre of the front row in any game was as far back as 2008 but he played down his contribution to the 22-7 win as Ireland moved to within one win of completing their first Grand Slam in five years.

Healy was between props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong in the front row of the Ireland scrum and the latter insisted on Tuesday that "hooker and tighthead are not similar", as he praised his Leinster team-mate's unplanned contribution.

'Front row is front row in my opinion'

"I've done some set-up but to go live, it's been a while," added Healy.

"Front row is front row in my opinion. I went in the middle of two of the best props in the world so I'm in a relatively good starting place.

"(I thought) just give it a lash, nothing to lose. I don't mind if someone lifted me up out of the middle of a scrum, I can take that.

"We ended up with 15 men on the field when it could have been 14 so all for the greater good."

As has been the mantra from all the Ireland players and management in the wake of England's 53-10 home demolition by France, Healy believes that result was an aberration.

"You expect a bounce-back. England rugby is very strong historically, in our area they've a very strong pack, we're not going to look at that (France) game and go, 'Oh yeah, that's going to happen for us'."