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League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Stuart McCloskey on Ireland's July tour.Ben Brady/INPHO Stuart McCloskey deserves his first shot at the All Blacks Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has backed the Ulster centre as his main man at 12. 8.24pm, 30 Oct 2025 Share options Murray Kinsella Reports from Chicago IN ANY OTHER era or in many other nations, Stuart McCloskey would have more than 21 caps. He has been a class act for Ulster for over a decade, delivering the kind of sustained form that might have earned other players 50 caps or more. But McCloskey has had the misfortune of being around at the same time as Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, two top-class inside centres. McCloskey has been enjoying something of an Indian summer in Test rugby under Andy Farrell in recent years, and it’s easy to forget the extent to which he was on the outside looking in before that. He got his Test debut for Ireland against England at Twickenham in the 2016 Six Nations, doing some good things and understandably making a couple of errors. Joe Schmidt didn’t seem too impressed, particularly with one loose offload, and McCloskey didn’t play for Ireland again for another 18 months. He started at inside centre in a game against Fiji in November 2017, then it was another year until his third and final cap under Schmidt against the US. It wasn’t immediately obvious that Farrell was a big fan, with McCloskey only featuring once in the Covid-disrupted first year of the new head coach’s reign. That came in a bad Irish performance against Georgia in Dublin in November 2020. No one came out with credit. McCloskey was back in for the closing window of Farrell’s first season, making two starts against Japan and the US while plenty of Irish frontliners were away on Lions duty. If that felt like progress, the 2021/22 season was a barren one for McCloskey’s international career. He didn’t win a single further cap in the 2021 November Tests, 2022 Six Nations, or 2022 tour of New Zealand. Advertisement McCloskey at the Chicago Bulls game last night.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO In fact, McCloskey wasn’t in the Ireland squad for those campaigns in 2021/22. There were a couple of injury issues along the way that season, and McCloskey was a late injury call-up to the 2022 New Zealand tour after an injury to Ulster team-mate James Hume, playing in the second Maori All Blacks game. McCloskey did what he always does and kept being an outstanding, talismanic player for Ulster. His form for his province has very rarely dipped. He has been a pillar of consistency and quality, even when Ulster have been struggling. So it was that McCloskey was ready when Ireland needed him for the 2022 November Tests. With Aki and Henshaw missing, McCloskey started against South Africa, Fiji, and Australia, shining in midfield. He continued at number 12 for the opening three games of the Six Nations, with Henshaw still sidelined and Aki getting back up to speed. McCloskey played a key role as Ireland got their Grand Slam rolling and was then unlucky to miss out on the closing two games of the championship, with Henshaw returning to the mix. McCloskey’s excellent performances cemented his place in Farrell’s wider group, yet the frustration of being back down the pecking order remained. He only played once off the bench at the 2023 World Cup and was lightly raced in the 2024 Six Nations. He did come off the bench as Ireland won the second Springboks Test in South Africa that summer. “The amount of times that I’ve had conversations with Stu about how well he’s been playing and, you know, he just needs to be patient and he’s been unbelievably patient,” said Farrell in Chicago today. McCloskey at training in Chicago.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO “I mean, the amount of times that Stu had been playing well and the other guys have been on top form and had hold of the shirt, and Stu would be going back up the road to Belfast on Wednesday. “I can’t count how many times we’ve had those types of conversations.” McCloskey was injured before the 2025 Six Nations, meaning he missed out, but he returned for the July tour to Georgia and Portugal. Many of the usual Ireland set-up, including Farrell, were away on Lions duty last summer but Ireland opted to leave out a couple of experienced campaigners for what was essentially a development tour. However, McCloskey did travel and started both Tests at inside centre. He was viewed as an experienced campaigner and a calm head within a young Irish squad that was led by interim head coach Paul O’Connell. McCloskey did an excellent job on that tour and has started this season strongly with Ulster. “He thoroughly deserves his chance this weekend because, from the conversations that I’ve had, from things that I’ve seen during pre-season, where he’s at, he’s upped his game certainly in the leadership role there, and that has spilled over into the few performances that he’s had so far,” said Farrell. So it is that McCloskey has been picked to start at inside centre for Ireland despite Aki and Henshaw being fit and available for selection. Both of them had injury niggles coming into camp, but this is a pure selection decision from Farrell. Given the availability of Henshaw and Aki, it’s a huge statement of Farrell’s faith in McCloskey. This will be his first cap against the All Blacks. Finally, at the age of 33, McCloskey is Ireland’s main man. Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Stuart McCloskey deserves his first shot at the All Blacks”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Stuart McCloskey deserves his first shot at the All Blacks”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. 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