Monday 26 January 2015 09:45, UK
Leinster's Luke Fitzgerald is hoping to put a injury-hit 2014 behind him by starting in Ireland's Six Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome on February 7.
Fitzgerald's fine form for his province in PRO12 and the European Champions Cup, after prolonged groin trouble, makes him a prime candidate to start Ireland's Six Nations title defence in the centres in Italy.
Following Brian O'Driscoll's retirement after winning last season's Six Nations crown, Connacht's Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne of Ulster will be front-runners for selection at centre alongside Fitzgerald - fitness permitting.
The Wicklow man has won 27 caps for his country, as well as touring South Africa with the British and Irish Lions in 2009, but has not featured in the green shirt since as a replacement in the heartbreaking home defeat by New Zealand in November 2013.
But, despite finding good form for Leinster, Fitzgerald remains "careful not to get too ahead of myself".
The Leinster three-quarter admitted he does not yet know whether he will be called upon by head coach Joe Schmidt for the Irish Wolfhounds clash with England Saxons in Cork on Friday night.
"I'm excited but careful not to get too ahead of myself at this stage," Fitzgerald said. "I just couldn't get back in time (for the autumn Tests) and it literally took 10 months to get the injury sorted.
"I feel really good now, though. It's a great place to be, and I'm really excited about it. I'm always cautious with Joe, in terms of shouting too much.
"I'm happy to come under the radar. I think I'm playing well but I don't know where I'll be in terms of positioning with Joe. I don't know where he sees me but I'm just happy to be in the squad and to have given myself a shout.
"It's all up to Joe, of course. He's very clear - when you're picked, you know. I'll just go in and train as hard as I can, and train as well as I can. It's very important to train well with Joe."
Fitzgerald, 27, says he hoping to use some of the expertise he witnessed while playing alongside legendary centre pairing O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy for Leinster and Ireland.
"I just watched Brian for a long period and we were pretty close. I was defending outside Drico for a long time," Fitzgerald said of Ireland's now-retired record caps holder. "You pick lots of different things from different guys.
"For me, always D'Arcy was the best to watch, because of his footwork and the stuff he could do. He's a dream to defend outside. He makes really good reads.
"When he's in the mood, there's no better player to defend with. His lateral movement is just huge.
"Anyone who has the capacity to do that and read the game well... he's fantastic to watch.
"And obviously you learn a lot off Drico. For me, as a player, the thing you learn about him is that he honestly had the biggest balls - not from the showers - but when things got tight, his top 10 per cent, his head: that was the stuff you learned from Drico.
"He was just a hard, hard man, and that was the stuff I loved about playing with Drico.
"All the fancy stuff, you can take all that; he's the guy you want to go to war with.
"So that's what you learn off those two guys - great players."
Watch Ireland Wolfhounds v England Saxons on Sky Sports 2 HD (7.30) on Friday night
