Ireland debutant Cormac Izuchukwu's praise for Ulster boss Richie Murphy

The flanker was delighted to get his first taste of action in a green shirt after having to endure a serious injury and going on the summer tour to South Africa without experiencing any game time.

He played 50 minutes before being replaced by his provincial skipper Iain Henderson.

“I wasn't playing a lot for Ulster, not playing consecutive weeks, which makes it tough to get your foot in the door,” said Izuchukwu.

"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 was out for the year with that ACL, 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.

“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.”

“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.

“I didn't sleep much last night (Friday) which is probably why I was cramping during the game,” he added.

“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 on a bit of a shift.”

The blindside flanker is the first player to represent Ireland for Offaly and Izuchukwu had plenty of family and friends in the stadium.

“That's really special, everyone in Tullamore has been so good to me because I'm never home that much,” he added.

“They're always reaching out to me with phone calls. 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.

“Loads of them here, trying to catch them all was impossible; I got around as much as I could.

“It was really special because they've seen the start of the journey when I was going over to Scotland and stuff. Obviously the second I left, I've not been home much but they've always supported me and it's real special.”

Izuchukwu’s debut could have been even better if he hadn’t had a try ruled out by the TMO.

He added: “I had a feeling [try could be overturned]. I went down and dived but in the back of my mind I was thinking maybe it was a forward pass, I looked up and knew pretty quickly. A bit disappointing but that's how it goes.”

The flanker was in South Africa with Andy Farrell’s squad in the summer before returning with Emerging Ireland and has relished both trips on his learning curve.

“Over there in South Africa, their approach to rugby is insane,” Izuchukwu said. “It's mental over there, they love it. That was good, going to the stadiums and getting that feel.

“The emotional battle you need to bring to them games, it was good to see. The boys here in international games, they're really up for it. You don't really get to see that.”