Ian Madigan (born 21 March 1989) is an Irish professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

. His primary position is at fly-half, although he can also play at centre and full-back.

Club career

Madigan made his senior debut for Leinster in a

Celtic League The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...

match versus

Newport Gwent Dragons Dragons RFC ( cy, Dreigiau) are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in ...

in May 2009. He went on to make 18 appearances for

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

during the season. Madigan broke through to the

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

squad and came on as a replacement in Leinster's cup final victory against

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

. The following season he became a regular first XV player and scored five tries in ten matches. He made a superb substitute appearance in the 2012 Heineken Cup final in Twickenham, with his long looping pass to Seán O'Brien enabling him to put

Seán Cronin Seán Cronin (29 August 1922 – 9 March 2011) was a journalist and former Irish Army officer and twice Irish Republican Army chief of staff.Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, ''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers Pa ...

in for the final try. With the departure of

Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...

to Racing Métro at the start of the 2013–14 season, Madigan was vying with New Zealander

Jimmy Gopperth James Gopperth (born 29 June 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, England's top tier. His regular playing positions are Centre and fly-half and he has played over 400 profe ...

, who joined the province from

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

, for the role of first choice fly-half. Throughout that season the selectors adopted a system of alternation between the two players, with neither individual being considered to have nailed down the number ten jersey. On 21 March 2014, Madigan made his 100th appearance for Leinster in a league match against Italian side

Zebre Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

. The following weekend when Leinster took on

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

, he kicked five penalties and one conversion in a 22–18 win. He scored a winning try in the 2013-14 Pro 12 Semi-Final against Ulster at the

RDS Arena RDS Arena is a multi-purpose sports stadium, owned by the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and located in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge, Ireland. The arena was developed to host equestrian events, primarily the annual Dublin Horse Show, which wa ...

. He came on in the 9th minute of the Grand Final for

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

. Madigan was impressive in the match as

dominated the second half of the match and won it 34–12. Leinster reached the semi-final of the inaugural

European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

, being defeated by

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

25–20 in extra-time. With seconds remaining in the first half of extra time, Madigan attempted a huge pass which was read and intercepted by Springbok

Bryan Habana Bryan Gary Habana OIS (born 12 June 1983) is a South African former professional rugby union player who initially played as an outside centre but later on, he shifted to the wing. He most recently played for Toulon in the French Top 14 competit ...

, who sprinted 50 metres to score a try which effectively put the game beyond Leinster's reach. This loss, coupled with Leinster's failure to get to the play-off stage of the Pro 12 league, ended a woeful season for the Dublin-based province and the effective sacking of head coach Matt O'Connor. During the 2014–15 season, Madigan started primarily at inside centre, with Gopperth playing at 10. With the departure of Gopperth for

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

at the end of the season, he again resumed his role as deputy to Sexton, who returned after two seasons at Racing Metro. In advance of Sexton's return home to his native province, Madigan stated his desire to play alongside Sexton at inside centre for the coming season. In December 2015, it was announced that Madigan would be leaving Leinster at the end of the season to join French

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

club Bordeaux Bègles. He made his

debut for Bordeaux against

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name to ...

on 20 August 2016. Madigan made his last appearance in Leinster colours on 28 May 2016, with defeat to Connacht in the 2015-16 Pro 12 final. Having only played a season for Bordeaux, Madigan signed a three-year contract with English club

Bristol Rugby Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

on 6 March 2017 ahead of the 2017–18 season. He scored 232 points on his debut season in the

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

, finishing as the league's top points scorer and helping his club clinch promotion to the Premiership as champions. Madigan returned to Ireland to join

on a one-year contract for the 2020–21 season. In his third match with the province he nailed a crucial conversion and game-winning penalty against

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

which saw Ulster advance to the

2020 Pro14 Grand Final The 2020 Pro14 Grand Final was the final match of the 2019–20 Pro14 season. The 2019–20 season was the sixth with Guinness as the title sponsor, the eleventh with a grand final and the third season with 14 teams, following the admission of t ...

International career

After injury to

during the

2013 Six Nations The 2013 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2013 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championsh ...

campaign, Madigan was drafted into the Ireland squad as cover at outside half. He made two substitute appearances, against France and Italy. Madigan was included in Ireland's squad for the summer tour of North America in June 2013, where he started both Tests against the

US Eagles The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...

in Houston and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in Toronto. In the November end of year internationals, he made a further three substitute appearances against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

; a dramatic encounter in which Ireland were denied an historic first-ever win over the All Blacks in the final minute of the Test match. Madigan was included in the national squad for the 2014 Six Nations, making a 68th-minute substitute appearance in the final match of the campaign against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Ireland won the game 22–20, securing their first championship title since 2009, and only their second win in Paris in 42 years. In June 2014, Ireland toured Argentina, playing a two-test series against the Pumas. Madigan made substitute appearances in both matches, scoring a try and a conversion in the second Test in Tucumán to seal victory. Ireland won the series 2–0, and in doing so secured their first ever Test series win in Argentina. He was included in the national squad for the 2014 Autumn internationals series, making a start at fly-half for the Test against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and two substitute appearances against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

. Ireland won all three Tests, securing their first Autumn series clean-sweep since 2006. Madigan was involved in the entire 2015 Six Nations, making substitute appearances in all five Tests. Ireland retained their title from the previous year, their 13th triumph in the competition. This was the first time that Ireland had retained their title outright since

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, having shared the 1983 championship with France after winning in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

. He celebrated his 26th birthday on the 21st of March, the same day Ireland were crowned northern hemisphere champions. Madigan appeared in all five of Ireland's

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

games, making a memorable substitute performance in the final pool game against France, when he came on as a replacement for Sexton in the 26th minute, and steered Ireland to victory. After Sexton failed to recover from his groin strain in time, Madigan started at 10 the following week in the quarter final meeting against Argentina. Ireland lost the game 43–20, and bowed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage for the sixth time. In May 2016, a 32-man squad was named for a three-Test tour to South Africa in June. Madigan was initially omitted from the travelling squad, the first time he was left out of a national squad since his international debut. His imminent departure to play club rugby in France was cited as a reason for his omission, with the selectors opting instead to select players who remain in Ireland. However, in a turn of fortune, Madigan was included in a revised touring squad on 2 June, after Sexton suffered a shoulder injury, ruling him out of contention for the tour. Madigan came off the bench in all three Tests against the Springboks, with

Paddy Jackson David Patrick Lindsay James "Paddy" Jackson (born 5 January 1992) is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays for Gallagher Premiership side London Irish. He primarily plays at fly-half and previously played for Irish p ...

getting the nod as the starting number ten. Ireland lost the series 2–1, but claimed a historic first win over South Africa on home soil in the first Test in Cape Town.Ireland beat South Africa 26-20 despite CJ Stander red card
BBC Sport

Honours

Leinster *

winners (2): 2010–11, 2011–12 *

European Rugby Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...

winners: 2012–13 *

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

champions: 2012–13, 2013–14 Bristol *

champions: 2017–18 *

top points scorer: 2017–18 (232 points) Ireland * Six Nations (2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Individual *

Golden Boot winner (2): 2012–13, 2014–15 *

Pro14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

Team of the Year (1): 2012–13

References

External links

Ulster Rugby profileUnited Rugby Championship profile
*
Bristol ProfileLeinster ProfileIreland Wolfhounds ProfileIreland U20 Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madigan, Ian 1989 births Living people Rugby union players from Dublin (city) People educated at Blackrock College Irish rugby union players Blackrock College RFC players Leinster Rugby players Union Bordeaux Bègles players Bristol Bears players Ulster Rugby players Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Irish expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union centres Rugby union fullbacks Irish expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France