The Irish national team may miss Cormac Izuchukwu’s contribution, as the Ulster player incurred an injury during a training session after concluding his international duties.
Earlier this week, the Irish Rugby Football Union verified that Izuchukwu, alongside several other athletes, had been sent back to their respective regional teams in anticipation of the United Rugby Championship’s restart.
Nevertheless, any hopes of Izuchukwu appearing on the field for Ulster this coming weekend were promptly dashed.
Richie Murphy, the head coach, verified that the 23-year-old suffered a concussion during practice and is now set to commence the established recovery protocol.
“Cormac Izuchukwu suffered a concussion during training this week and will proceed with the World Rugby Graduated Return to Play Protocols,” Ulster announced in a team bulletin prior to their twelfth-round match against Ospreys.
Consequently, the second-row forward might be unavailable for Ireland’s home Six Nations fixture against Wales, scheduled to take place in just over a week.
Izuchukwu participated in Ireland’s victory against Italy during the second round of the Guinness Six Nations, spending 58 minutes on the blindside flank.
He was excluded from the roster that journeyed to Twickenham for the dominant win over England in the third round.
In addition to Izuchukwu, Harry Byrne, Nathan Doak, Edwin Edogbo, Tom Farrell, Michael Milne, Darragh Murray, Jude Postlethwaite, Cian Prendergast, Tom Stewart, and Bryn Ward were all dispatched to their provincial teams before the Six Nations rest weekend, which aligns with a series of URC matches.
The 26-year-old forward from Ulster has distinguished himself as a prominent emerging talent for Ireland since his first appearance for the Belfast-based squad in 2021, though his international career has been hampered by unfortunate injuries thus far.
Hailing from Offaly and measuring 6 feet 7 inches, this player provides exceptional flexibility across both the second row and back row positions, despite having spent slightly more of his professional playing time in the scrum’s engine room.
He recently pledged his long-term commitment to Ulster, extending his stay until the year 2028.
Ulster Rugby: Michael Lowry, Werner Kok, James Hume, Jude Postlethwaite, Zac Ward, Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak, Eric O’Sullivan, Tom Stewart, Scott Wilson, Iain Henderson (CAPT), Charlie Irvine, Matthew Dalton, David McCann, Bryn Ward
Replacements: Rob Herring, Angus Bell, Bryan O’Connor, Harry Sheridan, Marcus Rea, Conor McKee, Jake Flannery, Ben Carson
Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins, Dan Kasende, Owen Watkin, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles, Jack Walsh (C.CAPT), Cormac Foley; Gareth Thomas, Sam Parry (C.CAPT), Rhys Henry, James Fender, Ryan Smith, James Ratti, Ross Moriarty, Morgan Morse
Replacements: Lewis Lloyd, Steffan Thomas, Tom Botha, Huw Sutton, Harri Deaves, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Luke Scully, Evardi Boshoff
