LUKE FITZGERALD PULLED out of Leinster’s Guinness Pro12 meeting with Treviso in Italy this afternoon as a preventative measure following the team’s warm-up.
The 27-year-old was set to start in the 13 shirt for Matt O’Connor’s side, but was replaced at the last minute by Brendan Macken, with Mick McGrath included on the bench.
Fitzgerald finished the warm-up but was withdrawn as a precautionary measure, according to the Irish province. The outside back felt tightness in his groin and Leinster’s coaching and medical staff agreed that there was no point in risking further aggravation of the issue.
27-times capped Ireland international Fitzgerald has played twice for Leinster this season, starting on the wing against Castres in the Champions Cup on 26 October and then against Edinburgh in the Pro12 on 31 October.
His most recent Ireland appearance was as a replacement in the November 2013 defeat to New Zealand in Dublin.
Fitzgerald had surgery on his groin in June of this year, when surgeon Gerry McEntee also repaired his lower abs.
Leinster will hope that this is only a minor setback for the wonderfully skilled Fitzgerald, and that he will be fit to face the Ospreys at the RDS next Saturday.
If poor Fitzgerald didn’t have bad luck he wouldn’t have any luck at all.
So talented but the body keeps breaking down. Some individuals have all the gifts to make it as an athlete except durability. Not looking good for him unfortunately.
In terms to raw talent I’d rate him above any of the Irish wingers but due to injuries he hasn’t been able to show his best in an Ireland shirt!
He is lucky he is still playing professional rugby let alone aspiring to get a run of games in….
Assuming he doesn’t have any more serious injuries he could play at the top level for another 6 years.
I bet on him being top try scorer in the six nations but he was injured :-(
I reckon he’s the potential to be the best 13 in the country as well but I don’t now of we will ever get to see it.
‘Know’ even!!
Look, I think we all know it’s coming, but none of us really want to believe it. Luke will likely be forced to hang up his boots, as unpalatable as that thought is, and that would be a tremendous loss to Leinster and Ireland.
Please, Luke, prove me wrong.
Even though it pains me to say it I think that may be the inevitable outcome with Fitzgerald,look at Ferris and what a loss he is. I also think Sean O’Brien could be heading that way.
There saying he was only withdrawn as a precaution. Hope he gets a run of games. Class player.
Surgeon Gerry McEntee is as good a surgeon as MOC is a coach.. :-P
Okay I’m ready for the red thumbing but in all honesty- what has Luke Fitzgerald done to deserve this adulation, he may have been a gifted underage player but as an adult professional his record is average at best… 28 international caps and a total of 2 tries (both against Italy). That’s a grand total of TWO tries. Hardly the stuff of a legendary player in fairness. Don’t get me wrong, hate to see any lad struggle with injuries like he has been doing but I just feel (through no fault of his own) that he is a media darling and the stats just don’t add up…
Yeah, I’d agree he’s hardly a legend, but that’s the shame of it. He probably had the talent but how many of those 28 caps do you think he played when he was really, truly, 100% fit?
Sometimes, for Leinster, he has been simply unreal to watch, but within the month there’s something else holding him back.
At least with Ferris (and should the worst materialize for O’Brien) we got to see how good they could really be, albeit for only a fraction of the time the talent deserved. But with Luke, I don’t think we’ll ever know how good he could have been.
A bit like Ross O’Carroll Kelly really, same story, very sad.