Offaly man to make history by winning first senior rugby cap

HISTORY will be made in Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday when an Offaly man plays senior rugby for Ireland for the first time.

Tullamore man, Cormac Izuchukwu has been named on the Irish side to play Fiji in the Autumn Series clash at 3.10pm. The Ulster club man has been named at blindside flanker and it will be a momentous occasion for him and Tullamore Rugby Club, where he played his underage rugby into adulthood.

Offaly is one of the very few counties who has never produced a full international in soccer or rugby and this will remedy half of that blemish. 24 years of age, Izuchukwu was born in London and moved to Kilcormac when he was seven years of age before they went into Tullamore – his mother, Catriona Dooley is a cousin to Offaly hurling heroes, Joe, Billy and Johnny Dooley. In his younger years, he dabbled in all sports, football, hurling, athletics before concentrating on rugby – older brother Chinnie was a very good athlete in his young years..

After initially attending Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore, he went to Cistercian College in Roscrea where he played in the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup and he has made phenomenal progress in recent years.

He joined the Ulster academy in 2020-2021 and made his debut against Ospreys in February 2021. He has recovered from injuries and took huge steps forward in the past couple of years, nailing down his place on the Ulster back row for the 2023-2024 season. His form here saw a call up with Ireland and he now wins his first cap.

Offaly have had a number of rugby players who have played at a high level but Izuchukwu is the first to achieve a full cap. Cloneygowan man Peter Bracken was very unlucky not to win one. A long time professional who won a Heineken Cup medal with London Wasps in 2007, he was brought on the tour to Australia that year but was one of only a couple of players not to get any game time.

Izuchukwu elevation will be celebrated by Tullamore Rugby Club, who have also helped produce a full senior womens' international, Clara's Aoife Dalton and two sevens' internationals, Megan Burns and Jordan Conroy this year.