The Ireland captain admitted Saturday’s 23-12 win over the All Blacks at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Ireland’s first over the team in New Zealand, was special.
Twice the first five could not help breaking into a smile, as coach Andy Farrell spoke alongside him at the post-match press conference.
But he had not lost sight of the overall goal, with a series decider looming in Wellington on Saturday.
"I haven’t had much time to digest it, really," Sexton said of the win’s significance.
"It’s very special . . . we turned up and we were ready to work and ready to go.
"[Farrell] has put together a pretty special environment. Everyone looks forward to get into it.
"We got a small result tonight. There’s obviously something bigger at stake now."
Perhaps that shows the growth of Ireland, which has now beaten the All Blacks in four of the past seven encounters between the teams.
Sexton said the way Ireland quelled the All Blacks’ attack had been a big improvement on the 42-19 thrashing at Eden Park a week earlier.
He felt the way his team transitioned into defence, after turning over ball, was key and would be important again next week.
While the Irish had dominated the majority of the first half against a 14-man, and sometimes 13-man, All Blacks team, momentum had swung with a Beauden Barrett try on halftime.
That left the score at 10-7, but the Irish response to that thrilled Sexton.
"Any time you create a little bit of history, it means a lot.
"It’s a very, very special day for everyone in the country. We talk about it a lot. We talk about making people at home feel very proud of us. It’s right at the top of the list.
"The effort we put in last week, we didn’t get the reward. Same effort again this week, it was touch and go at times. At halftime I thought ‘oh my God’.
"But the reaction in the second half was superb. To score with 14 men obviously against 14, but to bounce back like we did was great.
"We stayed in the moment. By no means [was it] perfect. We feel we could have played better in parts. But it’s a very special day."
Sexton left the field late in the game with a tweaked knee, but confirmed he would be fit to play in Wellington.
