BEFORE HE SIGNED his most recent contract with Ulster, a deal that runs until the summer of 2024, there were murmurings that Stuart McCloskey was wanted by at least one Top 14 club.
The chat didn’t come as a surprise, of course. Ulster’s inside centre is a big, powerful, skillful player who would go straight into the number 12 shirt for many good teams all over the world. It might have taken until this season for his Ireland career to properly take off, but he’s been a class act for a long time.
So it wasn’t difficult to imagine McCloskey heading over to France and making an impact. Foreign signings are held to the highest standards by supporters of Top 14 clubs but he could have been a real fan favourite thanks to his explosive carrying, exciting offloading, and turnover threat in defence. There’s more to his game but McCloskey delivers lots of the kind of big moments that supporters remember.
Still, it was no shock that McCloskey signed on again with Ulster. That’s where his heart is. Let’s not forget that the Bangor man had to work hard and be patient to make the grade, so you can understand why he’s invested in the place now.
Back in his school days at Bangor Grammar, he played lots of his rugby in the halfbacks and didn’t make any of the Ulster or Ireland underage sides. He certainly wasn’t a schools rugby wonderkid who clearly had a professional future, but he has proven to be a totem for Ulster.
It wasn’t until he broke through with Dungannon RFC in the All-Ireland League, having moved to midfield, that McCloskey was really flagged as a prospect. Ulster soon brought him into their academy system and he progressed to make his senior debut at the age of 21 during the 2013/14 season.
By 2015/16, he was on a full senior deal and was establishing himself as a first-choice player. It’s not the common route for a professional rugby player in Ireland but McCloskey continues to play with the fire of someone out to prove their point.
The ‘Bangor Bulldozer’ tag of earlier years was never fair to McCloskey’s softer skills but there’s also no doubt that he has hugely developed his passing, kicking, decision-making, defensive variety, and game understanding over the years, as well as continuing to harness the advantages that his 6ft 4ins, 110kg frame give him.
He made his Ireland debut in the 2016 Six Nations against England but then had just two further appearances against Fiji and the US over the following two years under Joe Schmidt.
He wasn’t particularly prominent in the early days of the Andy Farrell era but did play against Georgia, the US, and Japan in 2020/21 before things exploded for him this season. From November through to the third round of this year’s Grand Slam, McCloskey started six consecutive Ireland wins against South Africa, Fiji, Australia, Wales, France, and Italy.
It must have been extremely tough to miss out on the last two games of the Slam but McCloskey’s performances have put him firmly in the frame for a place at the World Cup later this year. It remains to be seen how Farrell picks his squad and whether one of his out-and-out centres misses out as a result.
For now, that’s in the back of McCloskey’s mind. He’s got plenty on his plate with Ulster as he hopes to win his first trophy with the province. The latest bid continues tomorrow night at the Kingspan Stadium as Connacht visit in the URC quarter-finals [KO 7.35pm, TG4/URC TV].
Last season, Ulster missed a big chance to end their drought. They would have had a home final against the Bulls had they been able to cling onto victory in their semi-final against the Stormers, but slipped to defeat with the clock deep in the red in South Africa.
Despite their worrying mid-season dip during the current campaign, throughout which McCloskey continued to play well, Ulster battled back to earn second spot in the URC table behind Leinster.
That means they’re at home against Connacht and if they win tomorrow, they’ll be at home against either the Stormers or the Bulls in their potential semi-final. Sure, Leinster could await in a possible away URC final but there’s a tantalising opportunity again.
Ulster will need McCloskey at his best against Connacht. The province’s fans would have been deeply relieved to see him returning to the team after an injury niggle forced him out of their final regular-season game against Edinburgh.
Opposite an equally impactful inside centre in Connacht’s Bundee Aki, the Bangor man will once again be a central figure.
