Fitzgerald happy to come full circle

LUKE FITZGERALD will pull on an Irish jersey for the first time in 12 months this evening buoyed by praise from within the Ireland camp and thrilled to have completed a long road back to recovery.

Much is expected of the Irish left wing against South Africa at the Aviva Stadium, with Ireland’s defence coach Les Kiss confidently predicting a big game from the 23-year-old.

Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll believes his Leinster team-mate gives the side a mercurial edge now he is back to the sort of form that saw him earn a spot on the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa last year — his rise was only halted by a torn lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, an injury sustained in a collision with Australia’s Quade Cooper at Croke Park 12 months ago.

“Luke has been back to his very talented self for quite a while now,” O’Driscoll said this week. “It must have been a close thing as to whether he was to go on tour in the summer because he was looking quite sharp but you err on the side of caution just to be sure the injury would be given a full opportunity to heal.

“From the off, he started the early games in pre-season and played from the very first Magners League games. He’s looking very sharp, he’s hugely enthusiastic and he’s a hard trainer. He’s the sort of guy you want to get the ball to because he can make things happen.”

Kiss was equally positive about a player who gives the Irish back three an array of attacking and counter-attacking options.

“It’s great to see Lukey back. He’s worked himself into the season quite well, has got some good game time and seems to be as dynamic in his footwork, which is pleasing from a coaching perspective.

“Lukey’s work rate across the park and his back three play is brilliant — he works with his full-back and wingers very well — and when he was with us 12 months ago, the combination he had, particularly with Tommy Bowe, was very good. They cover for each other, working into the pockets that need to be covered and counter-attacked and also worked off each other in good fashion. He’s primed for a big game: he’s hungry for it, he’s worked his b******* off to get to where he is now and we’d expect a biggie.”

That afternoon a year ago at Croke Park saw some very different emotions for Fitzgerald, as he collided with Cooper.

“I was inside Brian (O’Driscoll) when Quade stepped inside. I wanted to cut him in half but he ended up cutting me in half. He slipped into me, so it was one of those unfortunate things, and I just couldn’t get out of the way. It was a bad one and I knew straight away.”

Just as painful was the confirmation of Fitzgerald’s worse fears.

“When I was told how significant an injury it was, there were tears and I’m not ashamed to say it. I thought it might be the end but I gathered myself, realised it was not the end of the world and that there were people in worse situations.

“My family gathered around me and I moved back home (to Enniskerry, Co Wicklow) for a few months. Everyone really looked after me. I have three sisters and they were fantastic. There was a great support structure for me.”

There was also some much appreciated medical attention from surgeon Ray Moran, known at Leinster as “the ice man”, who because of the unusual nature of the injury for a rugby player, did his utmost to find the best advice.

“He’s fantastic and I can’t speak more highly of him. He was very reassuring in the initial period even though he was giving bad news. He hadn’t come across one of these but he did a great job. He consulted with guys in the NFL because that was the only place they’d seen this sort of thing and went to a surgeon in Abu Dhabi just to consult with him about it.

“What he did was unbelievable. There were no hiccups throughout the whole rehab period and everything came back really quickly — all the power, all the movement and all the balance — so it was a really great job.”

Fitzgerald was almost ready to return to action by the end of May when the decision was taken not to rush things by including him for Ireland’s June tour Down Under.

“Missing the summer tour was the best decision for me and my career. I said in interviews that I could possibly have pushed to go, but I don’t think I could have.

“I was training quite well but it just didn’t feel right. The development wasn’t there yet and I wasn’t fully ready to play, so I made the best decision for me long-term. It was simple.

“Ray (Moran) told me touring was a bad idea and that if I missed it, I would still have a brand new season and feel fresher for it. It has worked out great.”

Returning to the Ireland fold is another reason for Fitzgerald’s chirpiness, though it was something he had not dared to dream of as he went under the surgeon’s knife.

“You don’t really set lofty goals with this injury, it was more that I just wanted to get back playing — simple as — and see where that took me,” he added.

“You always want to get back to the level you were playing at and my goal was to get back to this. It’s funny when you write things down, it’s really unusual but you get really focused on it, work hard and stuff just seems to fall into place. Luckily for me it has, and being here represents that.”