Cormac Izuchukwu: I should be in Mexico now but Ireland call-up isn't the worst thing to happen

A barnstorming end to the season with Ulster, underpinned by selection on the autumn 2022 Emerging Ireland tour, has elevated Izuchukwu to his current status as one of three uncapped players in Andy Farrell’s touring party.

Sat, 29 Jun, 2024 - 07:23

Simon Lewis

From second division club rugby in Scotland to an Ireland series against the Springboks via sevens rugby, Cormac Izuchukwu has come the long way round to get within touching distance of a Test debut.

A barnstorming end to the season with Ulster, underpinned by selection on the autumn 2022 Emerging Ireland tour, has elevated Izuchukwu, 24, to his current status as one of three uncapped players in Andy Farrell’s touring party alongside centre Jamie Osborne and fly-half Sam Prendergast.

Yet the back-five forward from Tullamore, Co. Offaly did not consider a place in the squad a possibility, and had to shelve plans for a two-week holiday with friends in Tequila, Mexico in order to board the plane for South Africa this week. It did not even cross his mind when Ulster head coach Richie Murphy told him it was a possibility.

“Richie said I could be going over but I didn't really think too much of it with some of the good lads in the back row/second row position,” he said.

“Obviously I was hopeful, everyone's hopeful but I didn't think too much of it. I got the email and I was pretty happy. It just asks if you can confirm you'll be attending and I said ‘yeah’.

"I have been very lucky, to be fair, but it's something I've very proud of. I have been lucky to meet some very good people like Gary Stevens in Kelso in Scotland. He got me in touch with David Nucifora, who got me into the sevens. I met Kieran Campbell with the 20s and he got me into Ulster so I've been lucky with them kind of people around."

Izuchukwu describes his time with Kelso succinctly; “Playing Prem 2 in Scotland against teams you've probably never heard of or ever will. I was 18, went over, got 50 quid a week in a brown envelope and I was living in a town of like 3,000, travelling all over Scotland.

“It was just me and a South African boy (named Michael Downer, with whom Izuchukwu has since lost touch). We used to travel all over Scotland playing teams and that was when I realised I really do love playing rugby.

"In school, you enjoy it but there's such a culture in boarding schools that I wasn't used to because I went over in TY. It was a bit of a shock, it's such a big culture, then after school I realised I really do enjoy it so I wanted to keep playing as long as I can."

New Zealander Stevens was the catalyst in many ways for the Tullamore teenager.

“He did a lot of stuff. He did a bit of New Zealand 20s and he did Crusaders so he had that professional background. He coached James Lowe at some point, small world.

“When I first moved over to that club the house wasn't really set up properly because they had a history of players coming that were quite bad so I actually had to sleep in his sitting room until they realised I was good and then they gave me a proper house to live in.

“When I was living with him for those three days I probably learned the most I ever have in my career. He just got his laptop out and he was showing me all, like, spreadsheets and data stuff that I'd never seen before because I was obviously coming from school. Stuff that showed what he expects from a forward, all that stuff.

“I actually thought I played some good rugby there. I know it is not at a good level but the rugby with Gary was probably some of the best games I've ever played, the most enjoyable anyway, when I was over there.”

Now, “over there” is somewhere completely different, preparing for a clash between the Six Nations titleholders and the back-to-back World champions. Tequila will have to wait.

“I was supposed to be in Mexico right now,” he said. “I was going over for two weeks with my friends but it's not the worst thing to happen.”