Luke Fitzgerald has 34 caps for Ireland.
That is a fine number and one that most rugby players would be very proud of, but for Fitzgerald it is a constant reminder of the potential that remains largely unfulfilled due to bad luck and the treachery of his own body.
Considering that by the time he made his debut at 19 he was already considered the second coming of BOD, 34 caps at the age of 28 is a paltry return for Fitzgerald.
Blessed with magic feet and an eye for space, the Wicklow native was expected to become a fixture in the Irish team while he was still starring for Blackrock College.
Tuesday’s confirmation that the injury he suffered in last Friday’s open training session at the Aviva Stadium will keep him out of the entire Six Nations campaign is just the latest incident in a career blighted by bad luck.
His performance from the bench against Argentina was a rare bright spot on a bleak day and he had carried that form into Leinster’s challenging season. He should be challenging for a starting spot, instead he will be watching at home on television.
To even get injured at an open training session is an achievement. With fans young and old watching on the drills are normally of a gentle nature, far short of full pelt, but Fitzgerald’s foot got caught in the Lansdowne Road turf during a tackle drill, causing his knee to twist.
Just his luck.
Thirty-four caps. Rob Kearney made his debut a year later than Fitzgerald but now has 67 Ireland caps, plus three Lions appearances to Fitzgerald’s one.
After his debut in 2006 Fitzgerald had to bide his time to nail down a starting spot for Ireland, initially in the centre but then on the wing.
A stellar, GrandSlam 2009 was capped by that Lions cap but then the injuries began. Ligament damage to his left knee sustained against Australia in November saw him miss the 2010 Six Nations.
In 2011 he filled in for the injured Kearney at full-back, which ultimately contributed to him missing out on a place in the 2011 World Cup squad – a decision that would have seemed unfathomable just a year earlier.
Between the 2011 World Cup and last year’s tournament in England, Fitzgerald managed just seven Test appearances for Ireland.
A neck injury saw him miss the 2012 Six Nations, along with Leinster’s Heineken Cup triumph and, after a brief reprieve in 2013, Fitzgerald was launched into the worst 16 months of his career.
A combination of hip and groin injuries saw him sidelined indefinitely, with each recurrence making the Leinster player question his career a little more.
“I did (fear for my future) actually. I felt there was no escaping it really,” he said towards the end of 2014. “The guys were unbelievably patient with me. There were a couple of times when I just walked out and said ‘I can’t, I can’t do this. I’ve done months of rehab and I still feel like I’m going nowhere’.”
The neck injury that sidelined him in 2012 (and almost cost him his Leinster contract) is something he will have to live with for the rest of his career.
“There’s no one else playing the game professionally with the neck injury I have, so you take a chance with that.”
His commitment to the game is admirable and his team-mates will be hoping he can notch up cap number 35 in South Africa this summer.
