Nov 25,2024
He may have taken the road less travelled but Cormac Izuchukwu couldn't be any happier with where he’s ended up.
The 24-year-old Ulster back row/lock made his Ireland debut in yesterday’s Autumn Nations Series win over Fiji, an achievement he said left him "blown away".
Izuchukwu was born in London but moved to Offaly when he was seven. He began his rugby with Tullamore RFC and played schools with Roscrea College.
Injury took away the chance of a trial with Connacht when he was 19 and he moved to Kelso in Scotland which provided him with an opportunity to train with Newcastle Falcons.
A stint with the Ireland Sevens in 2019 brought him to the attention of Ulster and he joined the academy a year later.
He missed a year out with an ACL injury before going on the 2022 Emerging Ireland tour and the arrival of Richie Murphy at Ulster in March led to more regular game time.
A series of impressive performances towards the end of last season impressed head coach Andy Farrell, who took Izuchukwu on the summer tour to South Africa.
He had to bide his time in this window but got the nod last week.
"It was unreal, it was class," said 'Izzy' after the 52-17 victory in Dublin.
"It's been a long year. Change at Ulster, various camps with Ireland, combined academies, end of summer South Africa and now into this camp.
"It's been class and this week in particular was really special. I've been blown away by how much the lads really got around me and made it special.
"[The nerves were] mental, I didn't sleep much [Friday] night, which is probably why I was cramping during the game.
"No matter who I spoke to during the day, they made me feel special and gave me that bit of a buzz to go out there and try and put in a bit of a shift."
It’s been quite the trip for the Midlander, who was playing AIL rugby for Ballynahinch this time last year.
"It's really patience," added Izuchukwu, whose mother Catriona is a cousin of former All-Ireland-winning Offaly hurlers Joe, Billy and Johnny.
"I wasn't playing a lot for Ulster, not playing consecutive weeks which makes it tough to get your foot in the door.
"Richie came in and I got my shot to play three or four games in a row which gave me the feel of it because I was out for the year with that ACL. That was still hanging over me.
"That run of games was what I needed to kick on and get the confidence. You can look yourself in the mirror and think maybe I'm all right, I'm up for it."
When he took to the field last night he became the first Offaly man to win a senior international cap.
Heineken Cup winner with Wasps Peter Bracken, also from Tullamore, had toured with Ireland in 2006 but didn't see any game time.
He said: "That's really special. Everyone in Tullamore has been so good to me 'cos I'm never home that much. They're always reaching out to me with phone calls. I was back there during the week and met a load of family and friends.
"It was really special because they've seen the start of the journey when I was going over to Scotland and stuff. The second I left, I've not been home much but they've always supported me."
As for the game, there was plenty happening across his 50 minutes. He made an important early tackle, one of six, had a few carries, a try disallowed and took two lineouts, including one from a Fiji throw.
"There was definitely times [it went fast]," he said.
"With the nerves you're in a head a bit and you're thinking a lot, making sure you're on your detail.
"That slowed it down a little for me which was good at the time. One side of the pitch to the other, kicks to the corner, lots of mauling. It was good.
"I had a feeling [the try wouldn’t stand].
"I went down and dived but in the back of my mind I was thinking maybe it was a forward pass. I looked up and knew pretty quickly. A bit disappointing but that's how it goes."
Farrell's side take on Australia, under former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt, in their final November game on Saturday.
