Penrith-born Will Addison insists he will keep his feet firmly on the ground, despite having broken into the Ireland squad.

Addison, who qualifies to play for Joe Schmidt’s side through his Fermanagh-born mother, played his part in Ireland’s November internationals.

The 26-year-old made his debut in a 54-7 win over Italy at Chicago’s Soldier Field, before he started in their 28-17 success against Argentina and a 57-14 victory against USA at the Aviva Stadium.

Former Upper Eden and Penrith player Addison will return to club action with Ulster tonight when they visit Scarlets in the Champions Cup (7.45pm kick-off).

But despite his recent international experience, ahead of a big 2019 for Ireland which includes the Six Nations and the World Cup in Japan, Addison isn’t getting carried away.

"That [the World Cup] is a long way off," he said. "My first priority is to make sure I play well for my club.

"We have our biggest game of the season today, and then we’ll take it game by game.

"I wouldn’t say I’m an [Ireland] squad member just yet, I’ve had a great experience over the autumn.

"But I’m going to have to play out of skin to have a chance for the Six Nations and then the World Cup is a long distance away.

"It’s going to take a lot of hard work, determination and luck to get into the Six Nations squad, so that’s my first focus."

The ex-Sale Sharks captain says playing against the Italians in America before starting against Argentina at the Aviva the following week, after Robbie Henshaw was withdrawn from the team late, felt like two different debuts.

"It was pretty incredible. The first two weekends almost felt like two separate debuts if you like," Addison said.

"The one over in Chicago was certainly a really different experience.

"It was great to have my mum and dad over to watch that first game, they’ve played a massive part in getting me to where I am. I’m chuffed to bits they were there.

"The following week, that was a bit more of a surprise. A home international debut is something I’ll remember forever. It was something out of this world."

Despite growing-up in King’s Meaburn, Addison also admitted he supported Ireland as a youngster, and Brian O’Driscoll was his hero.