Cormac Izuchukwu thrilled to be first Offaly man to play Test rugby for Ireland

FIRST OF MANY: Ireland's Cormac Izuchukwu is presented with his first cap by IRFU President Declan Madden. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

It’s fair to say that Irish rugby has never known a road like the one Cormac Izuchukwu has travelled.

Born in London to a Nigerian dad and an Irish mother, he grew up in Offaly and attended school Cistercian College in Roscrea. There staging posts at Connacht, at Kelso in Scotland, with Newcastle Falcons, the Ireland sevens and Ulster before a Test debut on Saturday.

The 24-year old touched on the meandering nature of that route after his bow against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium, and how the various stops and happenings down the years – and this year in particular – have led to such a good place.

“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.” 

Had life taken a different turn he might well have kept playing GAA and lined out across the Liffey on Saturday afternoon with a Tullamore senior football team that lost a Leinster Club Championship game to Cuala in Parnell Park.

He is still friends with a number of those players but, instead, he was busy making history in Ballsbridge where he became the first Offaly man to represent Ireland in the Test arena. This was news to him when it was pointed out.

“Peter Bracken? No? Class. That's really special. Everyone in Tullamore has been so good to me cause 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 special for me to see that they're really excited for me that I was going to be playing.” The surrounds of his big day were familiar. Sleep was fitful on Friday night and the sheer pace of the Test game brought on a touch of cramp at one stage. And he shipped a tackle from one of the big Fijian men at one stage that he will always remember.

Welcome to the big time!

Like Sam Prendergast, ‘Izzy’ was a member of the senior squad that toured South Africa during the summer but didn’t get any game time. The pair were back there in October in a more active role with Emerging Ireland.

If he has been chosen for a fast track by Farrell then it has seemed at times as if the destination was still a long way off. How long? Well, this time last year Izuchukwu was still playing AIL rugby with Ballynahinch.

“To be honest, it's really patience. I wasn't playing a lot for Ulster, not playing consecutive weeks, which makes it tough to get your foot in the door.

“Richie [Murphy] 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 alright, I'm up for it. I was actually up at Ballynahinch for the game at UCD last week. It was some game.” His 50 minutes on the pitch against Fiji were fruitful. He was busy and effective on both sides of the ball, had a try disallowed for a Mack Hansen forward pass and made an early impression with one lineout steal that caught the eye.

“It was good, it was good. Paulie [O’Connell] has been pushing me these last couple of days with how the team is set up in the lineout, where I'd be in that position, and can I get over my detail. I was happy to show him that I could get a steal. It was good.”