Fitzgerald settles into the green machine

LUKE FITZGERALD could be grouped amongst Ireland’s second generation of professional rugby players, in a category with Rob Kearney, Stephen Ferris, Tommy Bowe, Jamie Heaslip and Tomás O’Leary.

Besides possessing talent, theirs is common history of enduring setbacks and, for some, of kicking their heels on the bench with their provinces.

When Fitzgerald, for example, made his international debut against the Pacific Islanders in November 2006, just three months after picking up his Leaving Certificate results, many felt here was the future of Irish rugby, a sure thing for the 2007 World Cup squad.