Fitzgerald’s Irish chances dashed

LUKE FITZGERALD hopes of breaking into Declan Kidney’s Six Nations squad to face Wales look to be dashed by a neck injury which has cost him a place in the Irish Wolfhounds selection to face the English Saxons on Saturday.

Fitzgerald was omitted from Kidney’s training squad last week but many pundits predicted the Leinster star could play himself back into contention with an impressive display in Exeter at the weekend.

However, the neck injury which ruled him out of the champions’ Heineken Cup pool victory over Montpellier on Saturday has not responded to treatment and Fitzgerald is set for a spell on the sidelines.

However, an IRFU source insisted the injury was not serious. “Basically it is slower to recover than anticipated, Luke will have rehab with his home province and will be reassessed further at the end of the week.”

Munster’s Heineken Cup hat-trick hero Simon Zebo has been called into the Wolfhounds squad to replace Fitzgerald while Ulster wing Craig Gilroy has been called into the senior squad to replace Zebo.

Andrew Conway, who was also due to train with the senior squad in Limerick as one of the six additional players, has had to pull out due to injury, with his club mate Fionn Carr replacing him in the senior squad.”

Meanwhile, Paddy McAllister, who sustained a knee injury while playing for the Ulster Ravens in the British & Irish Cup, has been replaced in the senior squad by Leinster loose head prop Jack McGrath.