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British & Irish Lions
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Ireland Rugby
Fitzgerald Ruled Out, Wallace To Start
Luke Fitzgerald has been ruled out of the game on Saturday against New Zealand, he has been carrying and ankle injury and not reached the required level of fitness.
Paddy Wallace moves off the bench and into centre, while Geordan Murphy gets his space on the bench.
“While obviously disappointed for Luke, I was delighted to get the word from Michael (Bradley) that I would be starting the game.
“You never want to benefit from somebody else’s misfortune, but playing against the All Blacks is going to be a huge challenge as they are the top team in the world and have some superb players across the park.
“You always want to test yourself against the best, so this weekend is going to be a big game,” he added.
“I have been playing a lot of my rugby in the centre for Ulster this season, so I don’t have any concerns about being able to slot into the position with Brian (O’Driscoll).
“He has so much experience and is one the top players in the world, so hopefully it should be a smooth transition for us.
“We have had a couple of training sessions to work on systems and patterns together, so I think we have prepared quite well.”