Fitzgerald learns to slow things down after World Cup omission

IF IT doesn’t break you, it can make you, and in Luke Fitzgerald’s case this appears to be the case. The talented Leinster utility back yesterday revealed that following his devastating omission from a second World Cup he closely examined his game and sought to eradicate a tendency to rush things, and he is now more at ease with himself again.

Akin to falling off a bike, his first instinct was to start playing again and he publicly thanked coach Joe Schmidt for accommodating his wishes by playing Fitzgerald in the last pre-season friendly against Northampton. Since then he is the only Leinster player to have started all 10 of their competitive games to date.

The talented winger-cum-centre had struggled for form and confidence when playing at full-back during the Six Nations, and although his form improved toward the end of the season, that anxious tendency to over-run try-scoring passes remained. It was time to take stock.

“I suppose it was something I was very conscious of, during that period when I had a bit of a rough patch during the Six Nations and for a few games afterwards,” he admitted pitch-side prior to Leinster’s afternoon training session beside the David Lloyd centre in Riverview yesterday. “I definitely wasn’t playing well and I was very conscious of a lot of things in my game. I was probably rushing. That is a good spot, being honest, not a lot of people spotted that.

“I try and slow down the thought processes I am going through. On the pitch, I am probably one of those players, I have more time than I think I do at times. It is something I have tried to work on, slowing down the thought process, and it has been working for me so far.

“There is that saying, great players do the simple things exceptionally well,” he added. “When I was going through that tough patch you look back on what you were doing well – I’m not saying I was a great player but when I was playing well I was doing the simple things quite well. I think I am doing that at the moment.”

Fitzgerald, with Tomás O’Leary, was the most notable casualty to miss the 30-man cut for New Zealand, and he also revealed he kept his conversation with Kidney to a minimum.

“We had a really, really short conversation about it, if I am being honest about it. I wished Declan the best of luck. I don’t know whether he wanted to have a long conversation about it but I wasn’t too interested in that.

“ I just said ‘Best of luck over there, sorry I can’t be involved’. That was it. I mean, what else do you say?”

Although reputed to have been understandably crestfallen, he maintained: “There is the initial disappointment but I suppose I would pride myself on being one of those people who bounces back pretty well. I think that is a crucial thing, whether it be in rugby or just in general life. I took a little bit of time with it and I suppose it was very important for me to come back in here and have a very supportive coaching staff and players.

“The guys were great about it and there was a little bit of sympathy but at the same time there was very much the kind of approach of ‘let’s get on with things now’.”

Fitzgerald maintains he finished last season better than people gave him credit for, but in any event he will still only be 27 or 28 by the time of the next World Cup, and it’s a box he desperately wants to tick.

“It’s something I was very conscious of the last time when I was playing very well before the 2007 World Cup. I was very young so understandably I wasn’t brought to that one on those grounds but I was playing quite well at the time and training really well in the national set-up. So even though I wasn’t in the 39 or whatever it was, I was actually really disappointed to not even be included in that.

“Look, there’s been a couple of disappointments along the way, but the key thing for me is how you bounce back from these things. That’s something I’m really focused on. There’s an awful lot left to achieve and I’m still a young guy so without looking too far ahead I do hope to be included in at least one.”