Fitzgerald: I’ll help Earls answer Ireland’s call
They have come through the Irish Schools structure as foot soldiers together, and Fitzgerald has pledged to help Earls make the transition from provincial to international rugby an easy one.
Fitzgerald’s career was fast-forwarded earlier (he has four international caps), but he is in no doubt that Earls is ready and that there will be no real need for any hand holding this afternoon.
“Keith is a great player; he has all the credentials and the personality. I don’t think he will be at all fazed. If anything, the fact that he is making his debut in his home town on Munster’s home ground will stand to him. I reckon he will be very comfortable in that environment,” he said.
Earls hogged the headlines when named in the side earlier this week, but an unusual feature of Declan Kidney’s first Irish team is the fact that he is just one of three 21-year-olds named in the back division, Rob Kearney joining the group after his selection on the wing.
Fitzgerald is enthusiastic about the possibilities of all three making a big impact on the game. “It’s great to be given the chance at such an early stage of our careers, Tommy (Bowe) is only 24 and then you have a lot of experience from Brian (O’Driscoll), Ronan (O’Gara) and Eoin (Reddan).”
To date, Fitzgerald has been learning the ropes from three different positions; full-back, wing and centre. He enjoys playing in all three but certainly rates his appearance today alongside captain O’Driscoll in the centre as a huge challenge and opportunity.
“I suppose I have been around the houses a bit, but it’s a privilege to be asked to partner a guy who is arguably the best centre in the world. Obviously, it’s a huge benefit to be playing alongside Brian with all the experience and genius he brings to the game. I suppose I always saw myself as either a full back or centre more than a winger, even though I was happy to play on the wing too, so this is a good place to be right now,” he said.
If he does see it as a genuinely challenging role, Fitzgerald is not put off by the associated pressure.
“The only pressure I will have is to make sure I perform for the benefit of the team; I don’t really worry that there might be outside pressure.”
The excitement is building up though and Fitzgerald is eagerly looking forward to the game. If his main preoccupation will be to ensure his partnership with O’Driscoll works well, he is also excited about the presence of such richly talented colleagues throughout the back division.
“The fact that all three of us have moved around through the positions can be a benefit rather than a drawback. There’s a lot of potential in this back division,” he said.
But Fitzgerald won’t be duped by the fact that Canada might not be ranked in the same league. “That hasn’t and won’t enter our thinking. We have prepared for this game as we would for any other; we’re treating the opposition with total respect.
“It’s also our first game and Canada played a couple already. Match practice is important; there are a few new faces in our team and it’s always a worry that things won’t go right for us. These guys will provide us with really tough opposition and we will have to be at the top of our game to beat them,” he said.
On the one occasion Fitzgerald got close up and personal with Thomond Park — at a training session last week — he was impressed with what he saw.
“It wasn’t hard to imagine that it’s going to be quite atmospheric because the crowd will be so close to the pitch. The fact that it will be a very knowledgeable and passionate crowd should help make it a great day out. Hopefully, we will give them the performance to cheer about and get the result to go with it,” he said.
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