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'Chatty' Luke Fitzgerald Bears Brunt Of Frustration For Underwhelming Half

'Chatty' Luke Fitzgerald Bears Brunt Of Frustration For Underwhelming Half
Arthur James O'Dea
By Arthur James O'Dea
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Ireland returned to Chicago's Soldier Field for an Autumn test against Italy this evening. After a blistering start to proceedings, the game (much like the surrounding crowd) became something of a non-event.

With a much-changed Ireland side selected, there was a degree of intrigue surrounding what a team of largely inexperienced players might deliver on a big-ish stage.

Sure enough, Munster's Tadhg Beirne, making his first start for Ireland, marked the occasion with an early try. When his fellow Munsterman Joey Carbery popped over the conversion, it looked a game that may fall very firmly in Ireland's favour.

Yet, as the time elapsed, and Nigel Owens' voice took greater prominence than any atmosphere one could locate within the sprawling venue, things just came to a relative standstill.

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A second try would eventually come via Luke McGrath, but the whole spectacle really failed to enrapture many watching. When Italy grabbed a try of their own just before the break, the 14-7 lead seemed fair enough.

Not helping things was Luke Fitzgerald on co-commentary; the former Leinster and Ireland man a source of fierce distraction for those left cold by the rugby on show.

See Also: Liveblog - Ireland Vs Italy Updates From Chicago Clash

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