IT TOOK STUART McCloskey just 28 seconds to show that he was going to be himself in Cardiff.
Ireland had launched their first attack of the day when Johnny Sexton pulled a pass back to his inside centre, with McCloskey weighing up his options and then firing a long bridge pass over the head of Wales wing Josh Adams.
James Lowe gathered McCloskey’s pass and with Wales fullback Liam Williams having to close up, the Ireland wing dinked an accurate kick in behind.
The chase pressure from Lowe and Garry Ringrose forced the Welsh into a scrambled clearing kick that gave Ireland a lineout 10 metres out. Andy Farrell’s side scored from that platform, with Caelan Doris finishing before two minutes of the game had elapsed.
The pass from McCloskey was important in the build-up.
“It’s always nice to get into the game, whether it’s a big tackle or a good carry,” said McCloskey after Ireland’s 34-10 win.
“The pass was on and I saw the space there to get the ball into James’s hands. In that area of the pitch, he has a good kicking game. He put the pressure on and we scored eventually. It was nice to get into the game that way.”
McCloskey believes he’s a better passer of the ball now than ever before. Old perceptions of him as simply being a battering ram have long since been disproven. The 30-year-old enjoys the fact that Farrell backs him to play his instinctive game, which is about more than his strong carrying.
“I think Andy’s whole thing is about playing the space and wherever is the best space, get the ball there and go from there, no matter who that is,” explained McCloskey.
Soon after Doris’ opening try, Ireland had their first defensive set of the game and McCloskey showed that he offers impact on that side of the ball too.
With Wales moving the ball from left to right, McCloskey jockeyed from the inside and tackled Williams into touch for a big defensive win.
This was one of McCloskey’s eight tackles in his 60-minute outing before making way for Bundee Aki.
“I think I link up pretty well in defence, I don’t really fly out of the line too much,” he said of his defence after the game at the Principality Stadium.
“That’s where I tidy up a lot of mess when guys make breaks and don’t quite get it. I feel I do that pretty well.”
Later in the first half, we got an example of McCloskey’s ability to beat defenders and offload. This was one of his nine carries against the Welsh.
Again, McCloskey picks up a pass out the back from Sexton and he said afterwards that he is becoming more familiar with Ireland’s attack shape with every appearance.
“There were bits and pieces out there I was pretty pleased with, just some of the attacking things and shapes I feel a bit more comfortable with out there,” he said.
“Some of it worked really well in the first half. I didn’t really get too much attacking ball in the second half but I thought we dug in defensively pretty well.”
All in all, McCloskey was pleased with his outing. This was his fourth consecutive start for Ireland – they’ve won all four games – which is a scenario that seemed unlikely only a couple of years ago. Aki’s impact off the bench means the competition is ferocious.
Incredibly for a player of McCloskey’s ability, Saturday was just his second Six Nations cap for Ireland – a full seven years after his first.
“There were definitely times in those seven years when I didn’t think I would ever get another game,” said McCloskey.
“I was pretty close just before Covid hit. I was in the team on the Monday to play France [in the 2020 Six Nations] before Covid hit and I thought that was a chance I probably wouldn’t get again.
“I’ve been playing well, it’s not like I haven’t been playing well in the last seven years for club, so I thought if I just kept persevering, digging in, that eventually I would get a chance.”
McCloskey pointed out that Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki have done “brilliantly” for Ireland in recent years and have both started Tests for the Lions.
“It has been hard,” continued McCloskey. “I can’t say it hasn’t been hard at times, but it’s nice to get that monkey off my back.”
Before he signed his most recent Ulster contract, McCloskey attracted interest from the Top 14 but he’s delighted that he never got too close to leaving Ireland.
He credits his wife, Hannah, for encouraging him to stay the course and keep playing well with Ulster as he waited for an opening with Ireland. She’s proud to see him doing his thing on the Test stage again now, even if it means McCloskey is around a little less. His son, Arlo, must be proud of his dad too.
“She’s delighted but I think she was finding it a bit tough there the last two weeks I was away,” said McCloskey.
“Obviously, with a three-year-old it’s a bit tough sometimes and we’re doing up the house as well so she’s doing that, God love her!
“So she’ll be happy to see me home for a day anyway.”
It’s back to business for McCloskey today.
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