Ulster Rugby: Murphy has built team’s confidence – Izuchukwu

If Izuchukwu’s development into a matchday regular for Ulster has been gradual, it reflects the fact that even as a professional he was still learning the intricacies of his position.

Born in London, he would spend the first eight years of his life in England before his Irish mother moved the family home to County Offaly.

There, Izuchukwu played all manner of sports but says he “fell in love with rugby” at Roscrea College.

He had played as a back in school but, after a five-inch growth spurt saw him shoot to 6’7”, he answered an online ad for a second row at Kelso RFC in Scotland having never before featured in the position.

“I was in Scotland just playing for a club, you’d get like £70 a week in a brown envelope on a Saturday to do my bills, and then I ended up going down to Newcastle [Falcons] for a while,” he said.

“I moved to Scotland for the craic and ended up playing second row.”

Having first returned to Ireland to be a part of the sevens programme, he joined the Ulster academy in 2020 and has since had veteran Alan O’Connor to give him a helping hand in the more technical aspects of his role.

“Big Al has been good to me since day one.

“When I came up here I wasn’t a second row, I was a centre.

“So he taught me everything I know about mauling, jumping in the lineouts, scrumming.”