Ecstasy follows agony for Luke Fitzgerald

For Luke Fitzgerald, as well as those who had longed to see him back in an Ireland jersey, it was worth the wait.

Four long, injury-hit years on from his last Test start, the British & Irish Lions wing was back in business at Murrayfield on Saturday, renewing his bid at the age of 27 to reach the potential shown at the outset of his career and contributing wonderfully to the cause as Ireland routed Scotland 40-10 to retain the Six Nations title.

There were no tries from Fitzgerald in his first Ireland cap since he came on as a replacement against the All Blacks in 2013, but that did not matter.