Ian Madigan’s Test window reopens as Paddy Jackson suffers stress fracture to back

Spondylolysis has reopened the Test window for Ian Madigan. Paddy Jackson joined up with the Ireland squad for this week's two-day camp in Dublin but was unable to train. On return to Belfast the Ulster medics diagnosed a stress fracture in his lower back.

Spondylolysis is a defect of the vertebra that can be hereditary or caused by repetitive trauma to the lower spine.

Jackson suffered the latter 56 minutes into Saturday’s 13-9 defeat to Leinster at the RDS, and was replaced by James McKinney, although no medical report was forthcoming from the IRFU yesterday.

Following an initial denial of the injury’s severity, a terse statement confirmed Madigan will replace the 22-year-old on next month’s two-match tour of Argentina.

Recovery from this stress fracture can take three to six months with surgery usually avoided but the union stated Jackson would be fully fit by September.

The initial plan was to send Madigan to Romania, along with Munster outhalf Ian Keatley, in Dan McFarland's Emerging Ireland squad but presuming he comes through Saturday week's Pro12 final, he will be Jonathan Sexton's understudy in South America. Any guarantee Not that there's any guarantee Madigan will see action against Glasgow, considering Jimmy Gopperth has clearly become Leinster coach Matt O'Connor's first choice outhalf since victory over Munster on March 29th. Immediately after that game O'Connor lauded the 25-year-old's performance, stating his 90 percent goal-kicking statistics would be "very, very important next week" in the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Toulon.

O'Connor subsequently dropped him, starting Gopperth for the first time since February 20th in the 29-14 defeat. Considering Gopperth started only two to Madigan's four Pro12 games during the Six Nations, it could be argued that O'Connor only gains full control of the Leinster starting XV when it comes to European competition (Madigan did start twice against Northampton in December).

Either way, Gopperth has been Leinster’s starting 10 ever since, besides the Ulster match on May 2nd, when Madigan registered 14 points.

It got even more confusing when Madigan replaced a non-concussed Brian O’Driscoll last weekend, streaking clear for the defining try, only to be omitted from the Ireland squad 48 hours later.

"The thing for Ian is he hasn't had enough game time recently," said Schmidt at Monday's announcement. "I've had a really good discussion with him, he's going to come in and train with us but he will go on the emerging tour and that will give him and the likes of Ian Keatley, who has played really well as well, some game time over there and we will still be keeping a close eye on that group as well." Has accumulated All told, he has accumulated 1,284 minutes from 26 Leinster appearances this season, scoring 152 points, to Gopperth's 1,482 minutes over 28 games, registering 225 points.

Jackson has played 24 times for Ulster, scoring 244 points, while gathering five caps for Ireland, including one start against Samoa, to Madigan’s four caps all off the bench, including the Six Nations clincher in Paris.

The second reason offered by Schmidt was he wants three scrumhalves in Argentina in order to take a closer look at Connacht’s Kieran Marmion.

“Kicking out of hand probably wasn’t where he wanted to be,” was O’Connor’s observation, echoed by Schmidt, when asked about the evolution of Sexton’s understudy.

Such a charge is never laid at Jackson’s feet but he has been relieved of place-kicking duties in the biggest matches whenever Ruan Pienaar has been fit.

With Les Kiss in charge on the North America tour last June, Madigan started ahead of Jackson in both Tests against the USA (15-12) and Canada (40-14).

Regardless, Sexton remains the undisputed number 10 but Schmidt refuses to be nailed down on who comes next in the queue. He went with Madigan in November but preferred Jackson in the Six Nations. Until Paris. Madigan’s advantage is his versatility. He first broke into the Leinster side at fullback and has banked plenty of time at inside centre these past 18 months.

Schmidt disagreed this week when it was suggested that taking only one number 12, Luke Marshall, on tour was a risk.

“No, Darren Cave played at 12 on the weekend and I know that Darren can play there, Fergus McFadden has played quite a bit there and I think it’s a position that Robbie Henshaw could play as well.”

As can Madigan, now he has been formally returned to the group. JJ Hanrahan should also benefit from Jackson’s misfortune by joining Keatley in Romania for three matches.