Fitzpatrick reveals how shock message led to stellar career

SEAN Fitzpatrick has revealed the brutal put-down that saw him emerge from the doldrums to become a rugby legend.

The former New Zealand captain has moved into Welsh rugby after joining the Scarlets as a non-executive director and global ambassador.

And ahead of the new PRO14 campaign kicking off, he told a story which shows even the greats of the game need a kick up the behind at some point of their career.

Fitzpatrick’s New Zealand coach Laurie Mains told the hooker he was ‘too fat, too slow and too arrogant’ to pull on the famous black jersey again.

Mains delivered the no-holds-barred message in 1992, a year after New Zealand had been beaten in the semi-finals of the World Cup by Australia.

Fitzpatrick took the brutal assessment on board, knuckled down – and went on to captain his country 51 times, winning a then-record 92 caps until his retirement five years on.

But Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports’ The Pod back home in New Zealand how his career was within a whisker of being derailed as he detailed the devastating phone call Mains made to him.

“He said ‘do you want to be an All Black again?’ I said ‘Laurie, I’d love to be an All Black again’,” said Fitzpatrick.

“He said ‘well, you’re probably not going to be’ .... literally like that, as Laurie can, as Laurie would. He said, ‘firstly you’re too fat, secondly you’re too slow, thirdly you’re arrogant’ and, the thing that hurt me most, he said ‘you’ve lost the respect of the jersey’.

“He said ‘if you can show me you’ve changed in the next six weeks playing for Auckland I might give you a chance in the trials’.”

Fitzpatrick listened and knuckled down, saying: “I got fitter, faster, stronger, totally focused.”

He was named as captain and went on to establish himself in the side for the next five years.