Fitzgerald Close To Leinster Return

The Leinster squad trained in UCD today as the province gears up for Friday night’s second successive away match in the RaboDirect PRO12 against Aironi.

With next Sunday’s rescheduled Six Nations clash away to France set to rule out a large number of Ireland players, the province at least look likely to be able to call upon Luke Fitzgerald after his return to full training last week.

Mat Berquist (fractured patella) could also come into contention after missing over five months. The Leinster medical team are pleased with the New Zealander’s recent progress after increasing his time on the training pitch.

Back rower Dominic Ryan successfully came through his first start in over three months against Glasgow Warriors last weekend, in a game which also saw winger Andrew Conway return to the fray after a three month lay-off.

Ireland international Rhys Ruddock, who was rested for the Glasgow encounter, may also return to the panel for Friday’s game in Italy.

Meanwhile, over 46,000 tickets have now been sold for Leinster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against the Cardiff Blues at the Aviva Stadium on Easter Saturday.

The final batch of tickets are still on sale online here and with a sell-out expected, supporters are advised to secure their tickets soon to avoid disappointment.