Ex-Ireland duo propose James Lowe positional switch as Ireland wing should ‘absolutely’ be at the Rugby World Cup

Luke Fitzgerald believes that Ireland should consider using James Lowe as a versatility option as concerns continue to grow around his contract situation.

The 33-year-old’s deal ends soon, but both Leinster and the IRFU appear reluctant to put a reasonable offer in front of the wing.

That means Ireland could lose a player that has almost won 50 caps for the country just over a year out from the Rugby World Cup.

It would be a blow to Andy Farrell’s preparations for the global tournament but, given his age and recent injury record, no one seems willing to commit.

Lowe still at a high level

Both province and country also have a number of other wing options to choose from should he depart, but Fitzgerald believes that he still has plenty to offer.

He also thinks that playing him in different positions could benefit Lowe, Leinster and Ireland, which was first proposed by ex-fly-half Ian Madigan at the weekend.

Madigan stated that the former Chiefs star has the capabilities to play centre, and while Fitzgerald was not initially enthused by that idea, he reckons having versatility would be a big positive for all parties.

“Ian Madigan made an interesting point in comms where he was talking about whether he could move into the centre. Now, I don’t think that’s something he could probably do; maybe inside centre he could have a good crack at, but he feels like a different kind of athlete to that,” he said on The Left Wing podcast.

“I wonder if he could make the change at this stage and be that real kind of utility player that you can kind of plug in. A lovely handler of the ball, got that off-loading ability, he is a big strong guy.”

Luke Fitzgerald hits out at ‘short-sighted’ IRFU over ‘very unusual’ James Lowe contract stand-off

Fitzgerald has concerns about Lowe’s defensive solidity but insists that the wing has the ability to learn quickly if he was asked to fulfil a new role.

Ireland and Leinster need to be ‘creative’

“I have always felt that naturally he can get a little bit lost defensively, if there’s one part of his game I’ve felt a little bit uncomfortable with,” he said.

“Sometimes I’m not sure if he’s the best defender but, when he has something to hit, he is great and he’s a smart guy, it’s not something you couldn’t teach him in a short space of time.

“I did think that was an interesting angle that Madigan took.

“I wonder whether they have to be a bit creative thinking about him going forward. Is he worth an extra 100 or 200k? To me, yeah, he’s a proven Test player, he’s got something different we don’t have.

“Is that worth it just to bring to a World Cup squad? In my mind, absolutely.”

READ MORE: James Lowe future uncertain as Leinster boss responds to exit speculation