Rugby:Rhys Ruddock has swapped Ireland under-20 duty in Argentina after being called up to Declan Kidney's senior squad as cover for the injured John Muldoon and the suspended Jamie Heaslip.
The under-20 Ireland captain departed for New Zealand and admitted it was something of a shock when he got the call.
“It was a huge surprise to me when Clarkie (Ireland under-20 coach Allen Clarke) came up to me and said that that I had been invited to join the tour,” said Ruddock.
“My focus was very much on the next game in the Junior World Championships against Argentina and getting myself and the team ready for that, so this was an incredible honour for me and something I never expected.
“We were unfortunate in our games in the Junior Championships narrowly losing our opening two games against France and England and while I would never have wanted to miss out on leading the guys in the next game, this was just something that surpassed any of my expectations.
“The season went really well for the under-20’s with our Six Nations Championship win and I felt I was going alright in terms of my own performances. My ultimate aim is obviously to represent Ireland and certainly didn’t think that I would get a call up to the senior squad so early in my career.”
“My focus now is just to learn as much as I possibly can and make sure that I don’t let the opportunity pass me by. I trained for the first time this afternoon and the welcome from the guys was great. I just want to train hard over the next couple of days and if the coaches feel they want me, I am ready to do whatever they need me to do.”