Lee Fitzpatrick selected to start for Ireland U/20s against Italy on Friday night

A DAY after Portlaoise’s Conor Kelly was named on the Ireland Club to play Scotland on Friday, a second Laois player will don the Irish jersey also on Friday night.

When head coach Andrew Browne today named the Ireland U/20s match day squad for Friday night’s U/20s Six Nations clash between Ireland and Italy at Virgin Media Park (kick-off 7.45pm, live on RTÉ2) it included Lee Fitzpatrick.

Lee Fitzpatrick is proud of the fact that he started his rugby career in Portarlington RFC ad even from an early age his potential was obvious.

After Portarlington Fitzpatrick, who plays as a hooker, went to school in Cistercian College Roscrea, before moving to Newbridge College.

After leaving secondary school he moved to Blackrock College where has made a couple of appearances with their senior team playing in AIL Division 1B, no mean achievement for a lad who turned 19 just a coup[le of weeks ago.

Having already represented Leinster and Ireland at Under-18 level, the Laois native was named in the Ireland Under-18 Schools squad that toured South Africa in July last year for a series of games against South African and Georgian international teams.

Last November Fitzpatrick again faced up to South Africa when Ireland Under-20s played them in Virgin Media Park, Cork. While the game did not go the way Ireland would have wanted, Fitzpatrick nevertheless delivered a fine performance in the front row.

At the start of the current season, Fitzpatrick was one of nine age-grade internationals to join the Leinster Academy where he has already impressed his mentors.