Sexton remains out until after Lions decision

Form and fitness may be accepted prerequisites when choosing any squad but Warren Gatland will have little of either to go on in the case of Jonathan Sexton when he announces his British and Irish Lions touring party next month.

The Ireland out-half has dispensed with the protective boot and stepped up his rehab from the injury which ruled him out of the last Six Nations tie against Italy, but the timing of any return to the pitch remains shrouded in conjecture.

Gatland has indicated that he will name his touring party after the European quarter-finals which, in terms of Irish interest, begins on Friday week with Leinster’s Amlin Challenge Cup tie against London Wasps at Adams Park.

And all the indications are that Sexton will play no part in that tie as Leinster assistant coach Richie Murphy yesterday described his chances of making that encounter as a ‘long shot’.

The soon-to-be Racing Metro man will still, undoubtedly, make the plane to Australia but he may have to do so light on game time as Leinster have only four more guaranteed games this season after their trip to High Wycombe. His absence does at least offer another glimpse into the future as his understudy, Ian Madigan, gets a glorious opportunity to frank his development tomorrow against the man preferred for the Ireland shirt recently vacated by Sexton.

Irish rugby has plenty of experience with it comes to duelling out-halves, going back to the days when Ollie Campbell and Tony Ward were the men in question, and Paddy Jackson and Madigan will take centre stage tomorrow when Ulster visit the RDS.

Madigan’s candidacy seemed to carry the greater weight in the court of public opinion but Declan Kidney favoured the younger man from Ulster. Both will be scrutinised keenly in the Pro12 table-topping encounter.

“People will say that but both players would be wrong to treat it like that,” said Murphy.

“The big thing for any 10 is that if he goes off on his own tangent his team is going to suffer.

“We will be looking for our 10 to run the game the same way he always does and play within the systems we set up to face Ulster. If he does that then he will put a strong foot forward for higher recognition.”

Madigan was superb last weekend against Glasgow, scoring all 22 of his side’s points and displaying an ability to break the defensive line with his quick feet that marks him out as something different in the ranks of Irish 10s.

“Ian has been going very well,” said Murphy, who has been pivotal in improving the player’s previously suspect place-kicking stats in the last year or so. “There are still plenty of things that he has to work on but he has shown a real sign of somebody that is stepping up to the plate and with Johnny finishing up this year he looks like a guy who is really going to strive to nail down that spot.”

Leinster will be able to call on Gordon D’Arcy and Isaac Boss, both of whom have been restricted to light duties this week, as well as the rest of those Irish internationals who are fit and free to do so.

One they will do without is Brian O’Driscoll, who will also sit out the Challenge Cup tie six days later after it was announced yesterday that he will not appeal the three-week suspension imposed for his stamp on Italy’s Simone Favaro.

Who slots into the 13 shirt remains to be seen.

Fergus McFadden represents the most experienced option but looks unlikely to feature against Ulster due a rib injury that may yet also leave him a doubt for the following week too.

That leaves Eoin O’Malley and Brendan Macken in line for the outside centre role and, with O’Driscoll expected to retire next season, both will be anxious to lay down a marker for the future in much the same way as Madigan hopes to in the No 10 shirt.