The tighthead has had to bide his time but now John Afoa's suspension has given him his chance, writes JOHN O'SULLIVAN

EIGHT YEARS ago this summer, beneath dark, leaden skies on a rain sodden Hughenden pitch in Glasgow, Declan Fitzpatrick watched and waited as New Zealand outhalf Stephen Donald geared up to start the 2004 IRB Under-21 World Cup Final.

Fitzpatrick, the then 20-year-old Ireland tighthead prop, was aware of nervous tension and excitement that tussled for primacy in anticipation of the biggest match of his fledgling career. On the other side of the halfway line in the massed ranks of the All Blacks pack, John Afoa prepared to thunder after the kick-off.

New Zealand won 47-19, the contest less lopsided than the final score-line.

The magnitude of the task that Ireland faced that day can be gleaned from an opponents’ team-sheet that included Donald, Afoa, Jerome Kaino, Ben Franks, Luke McAlister, Rudi Wulf and Connacht’s George Naoupu. Piri Weepu and Hosea Gear were introduced as replacements.

Where once Fitzpatrick and Afoa collided as opponents, they now collude as Ulster team-mates. This evening at the Aviva Stadium, Fitzpatrick will have an important role as the province strive to overcome Edinburgh’s challenge in a Heineken Cup semi-final.

He owes his place in the side to the four-week suspension meted out to Afoa following a tackle on Munster fullback Felix Jones in the quarter-final of the tournament. Their friendship survived an inauspicious start that had nothing to do with the result that day at Hughenden.

Fitzpatrick chuckles: “I remember going to ask him to swop jerseys after the final and he said no. I was really annoyed at the time that he wouldn’t. I think they cherish their one quite a lot. We were given a spare jersey to swop. He claims though that he doesn’t remember (turning me down).

“I have chatted to him about that day. I have some fond memories. He said that they went out after their semi-final once they heard they were playing Ireland in the final. We pushed them as hard as we could have but they had a fantastic team. There were a couple of things that didn’t go our way but there are no complaints about the result.”

Ulster’s dismay at Afoa’s absence is less acute than it might have been had Fitzpatrick not been fit to deputise. A neck injury sustained against Glasgow last November kept him on the sidelines for almost five months; his first game back was against Leinster last weekend when he managed a creditable 60-minute shift.

He smiled: “I did look at the (game) clock at one point and wonder if it had stopped. Fortunately I got my second wind. I have conditioned myself well. The advantage of having a neck injury is that you’re able to do a lot of work without compromising the damaged area. I’m the strongest I have ever been and they (the medical team) ran me ragged.

“I got my head caught in a scrum (against Glasgow); it was a really innocuous injury, (a form of) whiplash, but it didn’t come on for about two weeks and I was training in between, which made things a little bit worse. I had headaches and a lot of pain at the top of my neck, but it’s all cleared up now.”

Fitzpatrick explained he had been back in full-time training for about five weeks. Afoa’s consistent excellence obviated the need for any change – until the suspension.

“John was doing such a good job you do get those doubts in your mind but you’ve got to focus on yourself; you can’t control anything else.

“There were a lot of nerves last week coming into the (Leinster) game. You can’t replicate playing. The match suited me well: there were a lot of scrums and not too much running around. Obviously it’s disappointing for John; he’s had a good season for us. I’ve just been fortunate I’ve got fit at the right time.

“You wait for opportunities in sport, especially with a good player like John. I’m sitting behind him and you have to wait for your chance. It’s been hard on him but he’s been the ultimate pro in helping out in training this week. He played against Edinburgh earlier in the season and has shared his observations.”

At 28, Fitzpatrick has had to be patient, first understudying Springbok BJ Botha before he moved to Munster and now Afoa. But he boasts a sound representative pedigree, having played for Ireland A and also been involved in extended Six Nations Championship squads. Injury has been a frequent interloper in his career but he is brutally honest too, admitting he needed to do more when opportunities presented themselves.

Born in Birmingham – his mum and dad come from Spiddal, Co Galway and Kilmainham, Co Mayo respectively – he grew up in a household where Irish was spoken and he played Gaelic football. At school, soccer was the preferred sport and it was only by chance that he ended up popping along to Moseley rugby club as a 15-year-old.

An England triallist (under-16), he admitted: “I had no interest in playing for England and instead took up an invitation to join the Irish Exiles set-up.

Allen Clarke (got in contact and) told me that he was setting up an academy (in Ulster). He asked me was I interested in coming over. I was 17 at the time, had left school and was not sure what I wanted to do. It sounded like a great opportunity.

“I played for Belfast Harlequins and worked as a groundsman there at the same time. Then I went to university and got into the national academy alongside Rory (Best). From there I got a got a one-year development contract and it took off from there.”

Fitzpatrick knows that tonight is another chance to remind people of his qualities. “You can only control yourself not any external factors. I have had a difficult few years with injuries; maybe it has hampered me a bit.

“I have some time on my side (he’ll be 29 in July). The likes of Mike (Ross) didn’t start playing for Ireland until he was in his thirties. There are still opportunities there if I get myself right and in good condition.

“You have to treat it (Edinburgh) as another game. I know that seems strange to people on the outside. There’s going to be a lot more adrenaline and anxiety floating around but I’ve got myself ready and in a position to play and hopefully the experience I’ve gained in the past will allow me to do a good job for the team.” He’ll be up against Allan “Chunk” Jacobsen. They’re similar in physique.

The Scottish international is a nuggety, abrasive opponent but in Fitzpatrick, a noted scrum technician, faces someone who, at 5ft 10ins, will be tougher to try to get under.

The Ulster player explained: “He’s a crafty operator and I’ll have to be on my guard. We have worked on certain things this week and hopefully they’ll bear fruit. I was a lot more nervous last week because I hadn’t played in so long. I have taken a bit of confidence from the fact that I got through that reasonably well. I am just focused on doing a job for the team.

“My focus is to go hard from minute one and see how long I can last. I lasted 60 minutes last week and felt I could have gone on longer, so that was encouraging. I have never been a captain or a leader-type guy. I like playing with really good players because it brings me along. It inspires you. This is probably the biggest game of my career in terms of the magnitude of what is at stake.”

Who knows, after this evening’s game, perhaps it will be Fitzpatrick, who refuses to hand over a jersey, based on the calibre of his performance. Afoa would approve.