LUKE WHO’S TALKING
In-form Fitzgerald says Leinste are sick of all the negativity and are 'ready to go to war’ against Toulon today
TOULON BEWARE, is Luke Fitzgerald’s strident message heading into this afternoon’s mammoth Marseille showdown. It couldn’t be juicier. Two sides who have lifted the European trophy for the past four years – the French emulating Leinster’s back-toback title feat – going head-to-head in the south of France. Mouth-watering.
‘Everyone here is ready to go to war,’ enthuses the winger, reborn at the age of 27 now he is finally fit and full of brio following his horrible injury catalogue. ‘I can’t see us run out the gate again. I just think it’s going to be tight. I can’t call it but I have the belief in our guys that we can do it.’ It’s hugely optimistic patter. Matt O’Connor’s side have been performing in frustrating fits and starts all year. However, Ireland’s late lowering last month in Scotland to clinch a second successive Six Nations trophy has Fitzgerald foaming at the mouth and adamant Stade Vélodrome will not be Leinster’s graveyard.
‘I heard Rob (Kearney) say we need to attack and I completely agree. We need to back ourselves and there’s probably lessons from that last Six Nations game. That is how we should be playing, just backing ourselves.
‘We have talked about it and Matt has pushed it for a long time, but it’s just trying to implement it on the pitch. Matt has come in for some flak but I just love working for the guy. He’s so creative, so I’d like to do him a bit of justice.’
Winning won’t come easy, though, in this clash of contrasting cup - winning templates , Leinster’s home-grown virtues taking arms against Toulon’s bought-in brilliance.
‘They have a lot of foreign guys. We have two. And we play a slightly different brand, probably more creative off set-piece, and they seem to be better off broken field.
‘They have a lot of guys who are really dangerous, real pace and creativity. Guys like (Matt) Giteau, who is class. Makes so many good decisions, always draws in two defenders. He’s a cracker of an athlete for a small guy.
‘He’s my favourite player but no one is unmarkable. There is no one you can’t manage but we have got to be really smart in how we deal with guys like him and (Mathieu) Bastareaud. And their back three are pretty dangerous. They’re a great team.’
Fitzgerald is pinching himself he’s involved after twice considering quitting. Last year’s quarter-final loss in Toulon summed up the cycle of misery. ‘I watched at home and it was grim. Really grim. I’d just got picked on the Tuesday, went out to train, did my groin in the session and knew I was gone. It was a nightmare.’
A recurring one, with two particularly dark periods leaving him in despair.
‘The neck injury after Clermont (2012) and learning I’d need surgery, no one had played on with this injury in the professional game… I hate going on about it because you feel like it’s a target for opposing players and I’ve to work hard to protect myself,’ he explains, crediting Crumlin neck guru Liam Heavin for his expertise.
‘The other was the groin surgery this season. I was probably doing the wrong rehab... I’m a bit bull-headed, I really didn’t want to give up, but it gets tricky when you feel there’s no end-point, that I’m banging my head against the wall.’
Fitzgerald’s saviour was Enda King at Santry sports clinic.
‘It was last-chance saloon last August and it’s amazing the turnaround. One guy sees a couple of things. He said: “This is what you need to do. It’s pretty simple, let’s get to it”. It was bizarre. “Fine, I’ll do that. Give it a bash. I’ve nothing to lose at this stage”. He said, “You’ll get back to where you want to be” and I trusted his advice.’
Now restored to rude health, his first Ireland start last month in four years capped his rejuvenation.
Long gone, too, are the old five-year plans he used script.
‘Now it’s shorter goals. You end up not having to write too much stuff down because you’re taking it week by week. I’ll set my goals at the start of the week, write down two or three things and have them up on the wall in my press at home where all my training gear is. I’ve a couple of things on the inside I look at every day. A vision board.’
Everything is geared towards making September’s World Cup, the tournament he was unceremoniously dropped for in 2011, and he can’t wait for pre-season training even though this season’s trophies are still to be doled out.
‘It’s really important in terms of retraining my lower abdominals to get them stronger because my abductor tendons, which they snipped, are a bit weaker than you’d like as a normal athlete.
‘[Suregeon] Gerry McEntee said, “I’m slicing (to relieve chronic tightness) and they can be a little bit weaker when you come back so it will take a while”.
‘I definitely feel it’s an area where there is a good 15, 20 per cent strengthening to do. That will give me a big advantage coming into next season.’
FOREMOST is his mind is following to a tee ancient unsolicited advice from former Leinster and Ireland flanker Keith Gleeson. ‘He said years ago: “Do you want to talk about your career and how to prolong it, how to be a good pro?” I said: “Absolutely, I’d love that”. He said look after your pre-hab before gym, training and matches.
‘Unfortunately, it took me a couple of bad injuries to learn that the hard way. I always paid heed to his advice but probably not enough, whereas now I’m very much in Keith’s boat. It’s been absolutely invaluable.’
Precious, too, is his more relaxed state of mind having sidestepped rugby’s scrapheap.
‘I’m far more relaxed, just happy to be playing. I put huge amounts of pressure on myself mentally and physically before I got this run of injuries.
‘Having come back from so many in a row, every time I go training I’m absolutely delighted, loving every second of it now.
‘Having come straight from school (into Leinster and Ireland), there was a period where I took it for granted, but when you’ve been away for a bit, that hunger and appreciation comes back,’ reflects Fitzgerald.
‘There was a lot of hardship to go through… I was pretty disappointed with that contract two and a half years ago, didn’t feel like I got much support. There were learnings on both sides from that and that’s also made me a way stronger person… the more you sacrifice, the harder it is to give in.’
Matt has got a bit of flak this season but I just love working for the guy. He is so creative