OVER the next fortnight, Cormac Izuchukwu could be capped for Ireland against the Springboks.
There was a time when the closest he got to a South African rugby player was when he was house-sharing when earning €50 a week in the Scottish club game.
And that was only after Kelso decided he could be trusted to live in a club-owned property.
Izuchukwu, 24, was on the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa in September 2022 from which several players have graduated into Andy Farrell’s squad proper.
But the Tullamore man’s career had not really kicked on in the meantime until Richie Murphy took over at Ulster and switched him from the second to back row.
Izuchukwu recalled: “I came in on a Monday, the team was announced and I was starting at six.
“I’ve only started like four professional games so starting at six was a bit of a shock and then he is just quite big on being yourself, obviously.
“Sticking to the game plan but when it’s time to do your thing, do your thing.
“I had a good game against Scarlets, I think I got held up three times, there were a couple of words for me at half time in that game, it was pretty funny – ‘when you get over the line, f***ing score a try.”
DIRECT APPROACH
Maybe the direct approach was needed as Izuchukwu did not have the years of Academy coaching behind him that others did.
A twisted ankle had scuppered a trial at Connacht so, instead, he headed off to play as a semi-pro in Scotland, where he admitted an Ireland call-up looked a long way off to everyone bar, perhaps, him.
He said: “I was playing Prem 2 in Scotland for Kelso against teams you’ve probably never heard of or ever will.
“I was 18, got 50 quid a week in a brown envelope and I was living in a town of like 3,000, travelling all over Scotland.
“Not to be that guy but I think it’s always possible. I never thought I wasn’t good enough to play but the likelihood of it happening was so slim.
“I didn’t see a route to get there. As everyone does at 18, I thought I was class but you don’t really know until you’re in that environment.
“In my mind, I was just going to play for clubs all over the world and travel. I wanted to play in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
“I wouldn’t have the money to go to them places but I thought through rugby when I left Tullamore, this is class because I can actually go places now.
“I thought it was unreal and I’m going to keep doing this.”
His eyes were opened by Kelso’s New Zealand coach Gary Stevens with whom he first stayed before he was trusted to share accommodation with his South African team-mate Michael Downer.
Ireland U20s
Izuchukwu said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
A move to the Sevens programme and then the Ulster Academy followed before his progress was interrupted by an ACL tear.
He recalled: “I kind of just thought ‘this has all been for nothing’ and I kind of had to restart again except it is not really a restart.
“I learned about my body, plyometrics and stuff, about strength work and power work, bits like that that you never really get to learn through the season because there isn’t much one-to-one and S&C aspect.
“When I did get to come back, I was a lot quicker, more powerful and more explosive.”
He has reaped the benefits with Murphy’s trust in him helping to build on the game basics he was fine-tuning under Dan McFarland.
Still, an international call-up was so far off the radar that he was due to be in Tequila, Mexico on holidays with friends rather than South Africa.
He shrugged: it’s not the worst thing to happen.
“If I get to play it would be class. If I get a chance I hope I am not too nervous and get a chance to whack someone.”