Sexton in squad for Italy game

The IRFU stuck to their guns last night — as expected — by naming number ten Jonathan Sexton in Joe Schmidt’s extended squad ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Italy in Dublin.

The Racing Metro out-half played no part in his club’s 25-15 Top 14 defeat of Castres at home on Saturday, as flagged by Ronan O’Gara last Thursday, with the Paris club insisting late last week that he would miss ten days to six weeks with the thumb injury sustained against England in London.

The Irish union begged to differ when that oddly vague recovery period was announced from France but it will most likely be Thursday around lunchtime when Schmidt names his match-day team and squad before his well-being will be known for sure.

Sexton was due to fly back in to Ireland camp last night and is scheduled to see a specialist on Wednesday with a view to deciding whether he will be fit to face the Azzurri although there may be an update from the coaching staff’s media briefing today.

Schmidt is big on players proving their fitness early in match weeks with the rule being that those who do not participate in training from the get-go likely to face an uphill battle in terms of selection and Paddy Jackson has already been in situ for the two-day camp in Belfast last week.

Also included in the squad, for now, is Munster’s Simon Zebo whose electric form since his own return from injury this past month, allied to Felix Jones’ absence due to a knock to the knee at the weekend, have earned the Cork flyer a call-up to an extended 33-man gathering.

Zebo’s candidacy was made all the stronger given Tommy Bowe “tightened up” half-an-hour into his own try-scoring 40-minute cameo return from injury with Ulster against Dragons on Friday. The former Ospreys winger will now follow a staged return-to-play programme.

Tommy O’Donnell is also out of the frame this week. The Munster flanker received a stinger during Saturday’s loss to Scarlets and is facing a week’s recovery while Isaac Boss has been allowed some leave – his first week off between club and country all season.

It’s unlikely the Leinster scrum-half was happy to be told that but he will now be replaced in the squad by provincial teammate Eoin Reddan who has managed to rack up considerable game time in the PRO12 during the Six Nations after his return to fitness.

Any of those personal ups and downs were put into perspective by the news that Luke Marshall suffered a concussion in the Ulster-Dragons game last Friday. Marshall turns 23 today but his future in rugby must now be rated uncertain due to a run of similar injuries.

Last May, a breakthrough season in which he made his senior Test debut was brought to a premature end on medical advice after he suffered three concussions in consecutive games and was stood down.

IRELAND SQUAD: v Italy

Forwards (19): R Best (Banbridge/Ulster) S Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) R Diack (Malone/Ulster) C Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) J Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) I Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster) C Henry (Malone/Ulster) D Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) M McCarthy (Lansdowne/Leinster) J McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) M Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster) J Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster) P O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster) P O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) M Ross (Clontarf/Leinster) R Ruddock (St Mary’s College/Leinster) D Ryan (Shannon/Munster) R Strauss (Old Wesley/Leinster) D Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) Backs (14): D Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) G D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster) R Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht) P Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster) D Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster) R Kearney (UCD/Leinster) I Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster) F McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster) C Murray (Garryowen/Munster) B O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) E Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster) J Sexton (Racing Metro 92) A Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster) S Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster).

Not considered for selection: Tommy O’Donnell: received a stinger at the weekend and is facing a week’s recovery.

Tommy Bowe: tightened up after 30 minutes on Friday but finished the half as planned and will continue to follow a staged return to play programme.

Isaac Boss: has been given a week off after not having a break since the start of the season.

Felix Jones: took a knock to the knee and will be unavailable to train this week. He has been replaced in the squad by Simon Zebo.