No room for Madigan in Ireland squad

Ian Madigan will not get a chance to prove he can be the answer to Ireland’s out-half problems after he was left out of the 29-man training squad to face Scotland next weekend.

Jonathan Sexton’s injury means Ronan O’Gara is likely to start in the number 10 jersey with Paddy Jackson as back up for Ireland’s third Six Nations game, but coach Declan Kidney has resisted the temptation to bring in Leinster man Madigan to compete for one of those slots.

Back row Chris Henry is included but will first have to prove his fitness after suffering a knee injury in Ulster’s 26-3 RaboDirect Pro12 win over Zebre on Friday night. He will undergo a scan this afternoon.