Leinster keen to keep penalty count down with Ian Madigan on the beat

Leinster attack coach Felipe Contepomi. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

Ian Madigan’s clutch goalkicking in Ulster’s dramatic Guinness PRO14 semi-final victory has alerted former province Leinster to the need to clean up their discipline ahead of Saturday night’s league final.

Madigan, 31, left his native Leinster for Bordeaux-Begles in 2016 but ended his three-season Irish exile this summer by signing for Ulster from Bristol. The fly-half repaid the faith shown in him by head coach Dan McFarland by coming off the bench last Sunday at Edinburgh to fire his new province into a first final since 2013 with a late conversion to tie the game at 19-19 before nervelessly sending over a game-winning penalty at the death.