By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-11-24 10:31:39 | Updated at 2024-11-24 13:04:30
2 hours ago
This time last year, Cormac Izuchukwu was struggling with injuries and for game time at Ulster, turning out more often for his club side Ballynahinch in the All-Ireland League than he was for his province.
Fast forward to last weekend and when the 24-year-old was back at the county Down club's Ballymacarn Park to catch up with his old pals, he was there purely as a spectator and a soon-to-be Irish international.
A change in fortunes at Kingspan Stadium, sparked by the arrival of Richie Murphy as head coach in March, turned things around for Izuchukwu and he was given his Test debut by Andy Farrell in Ireland's eight-try win over Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
When asked for the secret to his quick rise from the sidelines at Ulster to starting for Ireland, the former sevens player replied "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 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'd been out for the year with an ACL [injury]. 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'."
Izuchukwu took an unconventional route to the Test arena.
Born in London, his family moved to county Offaly when he was seven-years-old. After missing out on playing underage representative rugby, he answered an advertisement seeking players in Scotland and found himself leaving home again to turn out for Kelso RFC when he was just 18.
The Ireland sevens programme facilitated a return to Irish rugby before he joined the Ulster academy set-up in 2020.
Having made a few stops along the road in his development into a Test player, there were plenty there to witness his big day in the Aviva Stadium, including a number from his hometown of Tullamore.
"Trying to catch up with them all after was impossible. I just got around as much as I could," he said.
"It was really special because they've seen the start of the journey, when I was going over to Scotland and stuff.
"Obviously [from] the second I left, I've not been home much but they've always supported me and it's real special.
"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."
After nerves and a restless night, Izuchukwu's debut was almost marked with a dream try only for the score to be chalked off for a forward pass. The flanker admitted he "had a feeling" the ball had crept forward even as he dived across the whitewash.
Instead, he received his welcome to Test rugby through some heavy hits from Fijian forwards.
"There was a tackle at one point and I was there, 'this is it, like, this is what it is now' but it was good."
While Saturday brought his first international minutes, Izuchukwu had toured with Andy Farrell's squad for their drawn Test series with the Springboks in July, an experience he thinks was beneficial at the weekend.
"That was good, going to the stadiums and getting that feel, the emotional battle you need to bring to those games, it was good to see," he said.
"That's another level that you don't really get in club rugby.
"The boys here in international games, they're really up for it. You don't really get to see that [provincially]."
Nothing, though, could prepare him for the feeling of taking the field as an international player.
"When you pull on the jersey, you feel a foot taller," he added.
"Whenever you're not playing, it can be hard to see that, but when you're out there for the anthems, that huddle just before kick-off, it's a special feeling."
