McFadden ready for centre stage

FERGUS McFADDEN would like it to be known that he isn’t losing the run of himself, even if he has every reason to.

Pigeonholed for so long as the frustrated understudy to Brian O’Driscoll, the 24-year-old’s patience has been recently rewarded with a string of superb performances thanks to a necklace of injuries to some of Leinster’s most celebrated backs.

That elevation into the first 15 and the limelight which comes with it was always going to attract some good-natured stick from his friends, especially now that he is sporting what could pass for a silver studded ring above his right eye.

“I have actually been getting a little bit of stick from my mates about that over Christmas,” he explained with a chuckle, “saying I am getting carried away with myself with the eyebrow ring.

“I went along saying it was a gift from my mother. It’s not, actually. It’s a staple. I hurt my eye up in Ulster. I wouldn’t bother with that sort of stuff, the big tattoo on my back or anything like that.”

McFadden hasn’t required any such gaudy decorations to attract attention. His game has been doing that for him ever since injuries to Rob Kearney, Luke Fitzgerald and O’Driscoll in the November internationals handed him his big opportunity.

He may be an outside centre by trade but when his services were finally required for some of the province’s crunch European ties they were pressed into operation along the touchlines for the double-header against Clermont Auvergne.

He migrated closer to home in Ravenhill on Monday — and may do again tomorrow against Connacht — when pitched in alongside O’Driscoll at 12 but he isn’t averse to a spot of shift work out wide again if the occasion demands it.

“I really enjoyed it in those two matches. Joe had told me even before Brian had got injured that he wanted me to mark (Naipolioni) Nailaga on the wing so he was going to try me there against the Scarlets. I showed okay against Scarlets and things went okay for me in those two games, I thought.

“I did enjoy it. They were two big games, obviously. Ideally, centre is my position but looking towards the World Cup next year it could bode well for me. Hopefully I will be playing centre again like I was up in Ravenhill but as long as I get a bit of ball.”

McFadden has played 38 times for Leinster and has been capped 10 times by the Ireland ‘A’s but it has taken until now for most people to wake up to his true potential and all-round talents.

His dainty footwork has been evident in a run which has seen him complete every minute of Leinster’s last eight games and he is in the top three in the squad in terms of speed over the first 10 metres.

His ability with the boot is another string to his bow even if the presence of Jonathan Sexton and Isa Nacewa has limited him to just six points from that source this season and that came back in September against Glasgow.

“I practice my kicking a lot,” he explained at training whilst running a kicking tee through his fingers. “Fortunately for the team, but unfortunately for me, Isa has been kicking and his percentages have been extremely high this year.

“He has stepped up and kicked very well but when I am next given the opportunity I will have to be ready. I really enjoy it and I’m not going to let it go. I work on it most days out at training.”

All in all, he is very much the type of player you would expect to be popping up on radars throughout clubhouses in England and France what with his abundant bag of tricks, age profile and limited game time.

Where he stands when Kearney and Fitzgerald return and none of Leinster’s internationals are available for selection remains to be seen but for now he is an integral part of the province’s increasingly silky back line.

“The last three or four weeks have been great. We would obviously have liked to get the win over in Clermont but getting them back at the Aviva and the performance against them was great. The spirit in the squad at the moment is great.

“Some of the older lads are away at the moment but some of the younger lads have stepped up. Guys like Rhys (Ruddock) and Dominic (Ryan) in the back row. It’s great to have the strength in depth.”

His mention of the pack is apposite. The forwards have also managed to hit the heights despite the absence of key men like Stan Wright and Jamie Heaslip for varying periods of time and McFadden is happy to share the plaudits.

“Our pack has really stepped up this year and in the last few games, without giving them too much of a big-up, we have bullied Clermont and Ulster in the last two games at times.

“Our pack have been giving us great go-forward ball and a great platform at the set-piece and that is exactly what the backs want and I want so if they can keep that going we will be happy.”