Cormac Izuchukwu delighted with Ireland bow after long and winding road to top level

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