‘I’d love a run anywhere – I just want to get out on that field’

Same questions, different day. Ian Madigan continues to suffer under the yoke of perceived versatility as he has done ever since former Leinster coach Matt O'Connor gave the 10 jersey to Jimmy Gopperth, the nomadic, now departed Kiwi, in two seasons tinged with regret and unfulfilled potential.

For everyone, not just Madigan.

Of course this is all Johnny Sexton’s fault. No, blame the IRFU’s former method of contract negotiation. Or Fintan Drury. Wait, got it now, it’s all down to Jacky Lorenzetti’s treasure trove.

Maybe someday Madigan will get a piece of that Top 14 money. In the meantime he’s stuck fielding questions about real or imagined flaws in his game. The outhalf game. The inside centre game. Game management.

The passing game (honestly, he was asked about the speed of his passing). All part of being he who carries the weight.

Joe Schmidt has capped him 15 times, but only twice as the starting 10.

Flawless

There was a near flawless showing against Georgia last November, before being overlooked for the

Six Nations

opener in Rome. Sexton and

Paddy Jackson

were laid low and still Schmidt opted for

Ian Keatley

, with Madigan, as usual, asked to close out the show.

That’s what the 26-year-old does nowadays.

“Yeah, but I still had windows last year. I still had five starts at outhalf and in the Six Nations window I would have had six, seven weeks training at outhalf and similar in the autumn break, so when you add it up that could be close to 20 weeks at 10.

“I feel I can manage playing 12 and still being able to do the role at outhalf, and the way the game is gone you need your first centre stepping up into that first handling position and they have to be able to read and control the game from 12 as well.”

Pivot

In Saturday’s rare full 80 minutes as Ireland’s pivot he clipped four conversions, created Simon Zebo’s try, then brilliantly assisted Luke Fitzgerald’s try before, as Schmidt noted, missing a late kick well inside his range.

That’s typical Schmidt-speak – what Joe giveth with one hand he taketh away with the other.

“Ian demonstrated he can play the position,” said the coach. “I thought his line kicking was spot on. We got some good distance to attack from his line kicking. His kicking off the tee was super, [but] we probably could have done with that last one, which was one of the easier of his kicks.”

Again, concerning his defence, Schmidt compliments then critiques.

“Even defensively he made some good tackles and some tackles he could have put more pressure around. He’s a pretty good guy to do self-analysis and be tough on himself and look for more from himself.”

And so to those same old questions about incremental improvements or his versatility (with all its negative connotations).

"I'd love to get a run anywhere," Madigan smiled/ grimaced, supplying the usual stock answer when inside centre is mentioned in the context that Darren Cave and now Gordon D'Arcy have played there in August.

“There is such competition in the squad, you just put your hand up for wherever you can get a chance. It is definitely a position that I’d love to play in.

“The way I am, I just want to get out on that field, if I’m playing in the centre or at outhalf or fullback or scrumhalf or wherever it might be. I would just be happy to be out on the field.”

Half-joking

He’s only half joking about scrumhalf: the older brother Dave was a decent nine and even

Nathan White

managed a brief stint there on his Test debut, but the constant debate as Ireland currently abide in this warm-up vacuum is who will cover

Robbie Henshaw

at inside centre? Schmidt was asked if Ireland’s 31-man

World Cup

squad needs two established inside centres?

“To be honest,” he replied. “We haven’t put any rigidity around those decisions.”

And so conjecture reigns. It feels like Madigan and Jackson will both travel, which means a specialist 12 (D'Arcy or Cave) is fighting for one spot with a winger like the currently injured Andrew Trimble or Dave Kearney or even Tommy Bowe. That's presuming Simon Zebo and Felix Jones are duelling to shadow Rob Kearney and that Keith Earls has done enough to prove his versatility (with all its positive connotations).

“Yeah, it is pretty intense,” Madigan added. “There’s competition across the board. You’ ve got a minimum of two players in each position and three in some. Johnny, Paddy and myself are going really hard at it in training, competing really hard for every rep. There is definitely a feeling that every rep counts. I’m sure Johnny will get his chance in the next two games. He’s been going really well in pre-season. He is enjoying having the longest pre-season he has had in years.

“There is no doubt that he’ll hit the ground running as well.”