Charlie Irvine has already packed plenty of highlights into his youthful career but is hoping to make more memories before the end of the season as Ulster challenge for silverware domestically and in Europe.

The Queen’s lock, who turned 23 this week, has captained his school and club, played in an U20s’ World Cup final and is starting to become a regular across Ulster’s matchday squad.

Irvine, who starts in the second row on Saturday night for the United Rugby Championship visit of Cardiff to Belfast, feels fortunate to be able to call on former Queen’s lock and current Ulster captain Iain Henderson for advice.

“He's got a wealth of experience...to have that sort of player to be able to learn from, I know that's something that I'm in a lucky position to have,” said Irvine. “‘Hendy’...he's great, he wants the best for the club, he wants the best for the players playing, he's there to help, he's a very smart rugby brain, his line-by-call is great.

placeholder image — Ulster's Charlie Irvine. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press).

“He's always telling, teaching, you can learn off him.

“I'm just trying to do what I have been doing, my game would be a lot of just work-rate getting high involvements.

“Getting around the park a lot, that's always how I've played, I'm feeling out there on the pitch like I'm doing that, I'm getting through a lot of work.

“I feel like I'm putting out good numbers, I think it's working for me...it's hopefully working for the team.

“It's being reflected that the coaches are selecting me, for me...it's just about doing what I'm doing, obviously I'm always looking to get better, looking to improve, looking for those opportunities. "But the foundations of my game are really still very much the same...it's been quite cool to look back on the journey and see where I am now.”

Playing in a World Cup final was a million miles away from where it all started for Irvine, who is combining his rugby career with studying to be a doctor. “It started at Lisburn minis in P3, my dad's a big Cooke man so he'd have been over there every Saturday afternoon, I’d be watching their firsts play,” said Irvine. “Played Lisburn minis, came up and then joined Wallace, moved into the ranks there, came through first year, right up until Upper Sixths playing schools’ rugby. “Really enjoyed my time there and throughout that I was involved in Ulster underage set-ups from 16s right up to under 19s and then left Wallace and moved to Queen’s.

“I was there for university and joined the rugby club, I’ve probably been there now for the last five years and during that time played Irish 20s. “I got two goes at that, which was always nice, just the way my birthday fell, I was quite lucky.

”The World Cup adventure in 2023 has been the acme of Irvine’s career so far starting in the semi-final against South Africa and coming off the bench in the decider against France.

“Obviously the scoreline at the back of that game (under 20s’ World Cup final loss to France by 50-14) is probably less said about that the better but, you know, it was the World Cup final...like that's something as a boy you grew up dreaming of.

"To have the chance to do that was unbelievable, especially over in South Africa...my family were over.

“We had a really good group of lads in our U20s, we were all really close and that was just a class thing to be able to be a part of and something I'll never forget...probably one of my best rugby memories.”

ULSTER: Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, James Hume, Ben Carson, Zac Ward, Jack Murphy, Conor McKee, Angus Bell, Rob Herring, Scott Wilson, Iain Henderson (captain), Charlie Irvine, Matthew Dalton, Marcus Rea, David McCann. Replacements: James McCormick, Sam Crean, Bryan O’Connor, Harry Sheridan, Lorcan McLoughlin, David Shanahan, Jake Flannery, Ben Moxham.