Kidney defends O’Gara axing as No 10 spot left vacant

For a while there it looked as if Ronan O’Gara’s Test career might undergo a phoenix-like rebirth as Declan Kidney read out his team to face France on Saturday.

Three days after dropping the Munster out-half, Ireland’s most-capped player, from his 32-man squad for the penultimate game of this year’s RBS 6 Nations, head coach Kidney not only had to admit defeat in the race to get first-choice No 10 Jonny Sexton back to full fitness but also felt the need to leave the position vacant, for the time being at least.

Paddy Jackson is in line to start against the winless French at the Aviva Stadium with Ian Madigan poised for a chance off the bench.