THEY’VE HAD A frustrating couple of weeks due to Covid-19 but Ulster have also had plenty of reasons to be cheerful on the contracting front.
The northern province have announced a raft of new deals over the past fortnight, including fresh contracts for their thrilling centre pairing of Stuart McCloskey and James Hume.
29-year-old McCloskey has been a totemic figure for Ulster for some years now, a key player whose contributions are so often decisive for Dan McFarland’s side.
It’s understood that McCloskey attracted interest from at least one club in the French Top 14 – no surprise at all given his quality – but he has committed to a new three-year Ulster deal and will remain a huge influence as he also looks to add to his six Ireland caps.
23-year-old Hume has been a revelation for Ulster at outside centre over the past two seasons and he is on a thrilling upward trajectory. Having made his Ireland debut last summer, he was disappointed not to feature during the November Test series.
Hume has channeled that frustration in the perfect way since, delivering three superb performances for Ulster before their recent Covid-related postponements, underlining that he is only getting better.
Hume has signed a new two-year deal with Ulster to tie him down until 2024 and there’s no doubt that he will add more Ireland caps over the coming seasons.
The McCloskey-Hume combination is increasingly a key weapon for Ulster in defence and attack.
They were particularly outstanding in the away win against Clermont in the Champions Cup last month, when both of them had a major impact. As McCloskey topped the ball-carrying charts with 15 carries and five defenders beaten, Hume was electric in beating eight defenders and offloading four times in just 11 carries. Defensively, they completed 100% of their tackles in an excellent showing without the ball too.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Ulster are still missing a senior player in Luke Marshall, who previously occupied the number 13 shirt so astutely but who has been bedeviled by injury and remains sidelined.
Hume has impressively stepped up in Marshall’s lengthy absence, making himself a clear first-choice player for Ulster and developing to the point where he is now often a game-changer for McFarland’s men.
Hume himself has pointed out that the presence of a player as experienced as McCloskey has been crucial for his development. The calming influence in the number 12 shirt has guided Hume through some tough moments. McCloskey is a constant and concise voice in Hume’s ear out on the pitch.
Not that Hume lacks self-belief. He is a confident young man who knows that his footwork, acceleration, and appreciation of defenders’ positioning allow him to make things happen for Ulster, who clearly understand the value of getting the ball into Hume’s hands.
Well capable of offloading out of contact, he also continues to work hard on his passing off both hands. Ulster’s desire to play with tempo and width means good distribution skills are a necessity for every player.
Meanwhile, Hume has become an increasingly decisive defender. He’s a powerful athlete, meaning he can dominate collisions, and his ability to make proactive reads and shut down the opposition attack is growing with every game. He appears to relish defending as much as getting on the ball in attack.
McCloskey is obviously very often positioned on the inside of Hume in defence and his decision-making and communication skills are vital in allowing the outside centre to shoot up and stop the ball whenever possible.
McCloskey is superb at the defensive breakdown, regularly winning jackal turnovers or slowing the opposition’s ball down. He is also a choke tackle specialist, with Hume increasingly reading McCloskey’s attempts to initiate those turnover situations.
In attack, McCloskey has the power and size to win the gainline for Ulster, while he is also a top-class offloader of the ball and his passing skills close to the defensive line are excellent too. His ever-growing appreciation of the lines that Hume picks outside him mean the Ulster centres are linking up to great effect.
McCloskey has also worked hard on his kicking game in recent seasons and has shown glimpses of his intelligence in that area.
So as Ulster look ahead in 2022 with ambitions in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup, there is no doubting that their centres are going to be key.
With McCloskey and Hume in such thrilling form this season, Ulster will be looking to their midfield duo to deliver big moments on the big occasions.
