STUART McCLOSKEY IS getting used to his new-found level of fame.
Well, sort of.
You know it’s been a big Ireland win when moments from the game are quickly being spun into memes and fired around WhatsApp groups both home and abroad. In Twickenham last weekend, McCloskey’s brilliant chase and tackle on Marcus Smith was prime social media fodder.
Unsurprisingly, most of those memes found their way onto McCloskey’s phone.
“It was crazy,” the Ireland and Ulster centre admits.
“It felt like every time I opened Instagram for two or three days, it was just my face. My missus was laughing. I was taking the kids to school on Monday and there were people genuinely stopping cars at the side of the road to say well done. She was like: ‘What is going on here?’
“Ah, it gave me some big laughs, like! There was a few funny memes and clips going around. It’s good. You’ve got to take everything with a pinch of salt, like. The good times, like this here, will be funny I’m sure.
At some stage, I’ll do something that’s stupid and people will take the piss out of me. So I’ll enjoy this and when it doesn’t go as well, I’ll just laugh it off. It can’t be good all the time.”
A few days on from the high of Twickenham, McCloskey is in relaxed, if somewhat self-deprecating form.
The England win might be the defining game of his career to date, but days like that have been hard earned. The Ulster player made his Test debut in Twickenham back in 2016, playing well on a tough day for Ireland as Joe Schmidt’s side went down 21-10. McCloskey wasn’t capped again for 21 months.
“Ah, I don’t know what the craic was with Joe,” he says. “I don’t think we saw eye to eye…. listen, I’m glad he’s not coaching here now, but he’s done some amazing things as a coach. Sometimes coaches and players are not on the same page, I don’t know what it was but I wasn’t for him.
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“I never spoke to him (about it).”
Last weekend’s trip to the same venue marked cap number 26. Eighteen of those have come from November 2022 on, making McCloskey something of a late bloomer on the Test scene.
McCloskey fends England's Ollie Lawrence. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The big barrier in McCloskey’s way was the form of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw as the first-choice 12s, with Garry Ringrose often locked in at 13 – a position Aki and Henshaw also cover. And it’s fair to say that even when McCloskey’s provincial form was excellent, those ahead of him hadn’t done anything to warrant dropping out of the Ireland team.
And as an out-an-out 12, there were often times during that spell where McCloskey simply wasn’t the most versatile bench option.
“I felt like I was always good enough. I’ve actually been on the bench a few times since then but back then, it wasn’t really the done thing to put a 12 on the bench. To be fair to Bundee, in that World Cup cycle, that year (2023), he was unbelievable so he was. He was nominated for World Player of the Year.
“So I kinda.. not resigned myself to it but even if I thought I was as good as Bundee back then, he was playing so well in the slot that it was hard to get into the team. To get ahead of him, you’d have to be by far the best player in the world. I didn’t think I was that. So I was resigned just to being here and working as hard as I could and wait for an opportunity.”
As it stands, the returning Aki and Henshaw are the ones who will have a job dislodging McCloskey for the final two Six Nations fixtures. The 33-year-old’s current form begs an obvious question: where has McCloskey made improvements in his game over the years?
“Eh, probably my knowledge of it. I’ve played over 250 professional games now so I’ve a pretty good knowledge of what I want to do in attack and defence. I don’t think any one area has come on ridiculous amounts, just everything has got a bit better in terms of my whole game.
“I’m probably a bit bigger than I was then (around 2016). I’m 116/117 kilos now whereas I was 107/108. So, I just think everything has got slightly better and thankfully I’m still fit enough at 33 so I’m still able to do it.”
Smarter, stronger. Faster?
“I don’t know if I am any quicker or if I’m just staying the same. If I look quicker, I’ll take that. It’s probably down to the S&Cs here and in Ulster with the speed work. We’re doing a lot of that, and it’s keeping us in the right shape.
McCloskey stood out on both sides of the ball in Twickenham. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“(My times are) probably the same for the guts of the last seven or eight years… I think it’s about 9.5, 9.6 – not Rob Baloucoune pace but it gets me across the ground fast enough.”
A week before the England win, McCloskey’s teammates were calling him ‘Aaron Rodgers’ following his wonderful one-hand pass to assist a Robert Baloucoune try. As it happens, McCloskey’s handling and passing skills might owe more to a different American sport.
“I love all the American sports but in terms of actually playing them? Not really. We played basketball in the gym up at Ulster. That’s probably the height of it. We did that for a while, a few of us messing around but no, I’ve always found off-loading not an easy skill but just something I’ve picked up quite well over the years. It’s always come quite naturally to me.”
In terms of his rugby inspiration, the answer comes as no great surprise.
“Ah, Sonny Bill Williams. He was the GOAT, wasn’t he? He was unbelievable. I probably grew up watching him. He was probably the most influential in terms of that side of the game, watching him doing it.
“Because he’s probably not that much older than me. He’s probably 42 (he’s 40), but you know your teenage years when you’re quite impressionable? That’s probably who I was watching.”
Now McCloskey is the player young lads want to emulate. Having been on the outside looking in for so long, he’s happy to soak up the plaudits now coming his way.
“It’s nice to hear. I probably feel somewhat vindicated for all the years of slogging it out and not getting too much love, so it’s been nice, but you’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts.
“These like these things don’t last forever. I’m 33 years of age, hopefully playing another two or three years, but I’m just enjoying the moment and hopefully enjoying this good bit of form for that wee bit longer.”
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'It felt like every time I opened Instagram for two or three days, it was just my face'
STUART McCLOSKEY IS getting used to his new-found level of fame.
Well, sort of.
You know it’s been a big Ireland win when moments from the game are quickly being spun into memes and fired around WhatsApp groups both home and abroad. In Twickenham last weekend, McCloskey’s brilliant chase and tackle on Marcus Smith was prime social media fodder.
Unsurprisingly, most of those memes found their way onto McCloskey’s phone.
“It was crazy,” the Ireland and Ulster centre admits.
“It felt like every time I opened Instagram for two or three days, it was just my face. My missus was laughing. I was taking the kids to school on Monday and there were people genuinely stopping cars at the side of the road to say well done. She was like: ‘What is going on here?’
“Ah, it gave me some big laughs, like! There was a few funny memes and clips going around. It’s good. You’ve got to take everything with a pinch of salt, like. The good times, like this here, will be funny I’m sure.
A few days on from the high of Twickenham, McCloskey is in relaxed, if somewhat self-deprecating form.
The England win might be the defining game of his career to date, but days like that have been hard earned. The Ulster player made his Test debut in Twickenham back in 2016, playing well on a tough day for Ireland as Joe Schmidt’s side went down 21-10. McCloskey wasn’t capped again for 21 months.
“Ah, I don’t know what the craic was with Joe,” he says. “I don’t think we saw eye to eye…. listen, I’m glad he’s not coaching here now, but he’s done some amazing things as a coach. Sometimes coaches and players are not on the same page, I don’t know what it was but I wasn’t for him.
“I never spoke to him (about it).”
Last weekend’s trip to the same venue marked cap number 26. Eighteen of those have come from November 2022 on, making McCloskey something of a late bloomer on the Test scene.
The big barrier in McCloskey’s way was the form of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw as the first-choice 12s, with Garry Ringrose often locked in at 13 – a position Aki and Henshaw also cover. And it’s fair to say that even when McCloskey’s provincial form was excellent, those ahead of him hadn’t done anything to warrant dropping out of the Ireland team.
And as an out-an-out 12, there were often times during that spell where McCloskey simply wasn’t the most versatile bench option.
“I felt like I was always good enough. I’ve actually been on the bench a few times since then but back then, it wasn’t really the done thing to put a 12 on the bench. To be fair to Bundee, in that World Cup cycle, that year (2023), he was unbelievable so he was. He was nominated for World Player of the Year.
“So I kinda.. not resigned myself to it but even if I thought I was as good as Bundee back then, he was playing so well in the slot that it was hard to get into the team. To get ahead of him, you’d have to be by far the best player in the world. I didn’t think I was that. So I was resigned just to being here and working as hard as I could and wait for an opportunity.”
As it stands, the returning Aki and Henshaw are the ones who will have a job dislodging McCloskey for the final two Six Nations fixtures. The 33-year-old’s current form begs an obvious question: where has McCloskey made improvements in his game over the years?
“Eh, probably my knowledge of it. I’ve played over 250 professional games now so I’ve a pretty good knowledge of what I want to do in attack and defence. I don’t think any one area has come on ridiculous amounts, just everything has got a bit better in terms of my whole game.
“I’m probably a bit bigger than I was then (around 2016). I’m 116/117 kilos now whereas I was 107/108. So, I just think everything has got slightly better and thankfully I’m still fit enough at 33 so I’m still able to do it.”
Smarter, stronger. Faster?
“I don’t know if I am any quicker or if I’m just staying the same. If I look quicker, I’ll take that. It’s probably down to the S&Cs here and in Ulster with the speed work. We’re doing a lot of that, and it’s keeping us in the right shape.
“(My times are) probably the same for the guts of the last seven or eight years… I think it’s about 9.5, 9.6 – not Rob Baloucoune pace but it gets me across the ground fast enough.”
A week before the England win, McCloskey’s teammates were calling him ‘Aaron Rodgers’ following his wonderful one-hand pass to assist a Robert Baloucoune try. As it happens, McCloskey’s handling and passing skills might owe more to a different American sport.
“I love all the American sports but in terms of actually playing them? Not really. We played basketball in the gym up at Ulster. That’s probably the height of it. We did that for a while, a few of us messing around but no, I’ve always found off-loading not an easy skill but just something I’ve picked up quite well over the years. It’s always come quite naturally to me.”
In terms of his rugby inspiration, the answer comes as no great surprise.
“Ah, Sonny Bill Williams. He was the GOAT, wasn’t he? He was unbelievable. I probably grew up watching him. He was probably the most influential in terms of that side of the game, watching him doing it.
“Because he’s probably not that much older than me. He’s probably 42 (he’s 40), but you know your teenage years when you’re quite impressionable? That’s probably who I was watching.”
Now McCloskey is the player young lads want to emulate. Having been on the outside looking in for so long, he’s happy to soak up the plaudits now coming his way.
“It’s nice to hear. I probably feel somewhat vindicated for all the years of slogging it out and not getting too much love, so it’s been nice, but you’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts.
“These like these things don’t last forever. I’m 33 years of age, hopefully playing another two or three years, but I’m just enjoying the moment and hopefully enjoying this good bit of form for that wee bit longer.”
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