For a man of Stuart McCloskey’s proportions, all is not what it seems. The 6ft 4in Ireland centre is a former scrum half, a future architect and a man with a taste for love ballads.
The Ulster player won his first cap for Ireland in the 21-10 RBS Six Nations Championship defeat by England last weekend and, as part of the time-honoured tradition for debutants, he had to sing for his supper in front of his team-mates.
His choice?
“Robbie Williams’s Angels,” McCloskey said.
The song sold over a million copies in the charts but much like Ireland’s performance in Twickenham, McCloskey’s rendition needed some time to pick up steam.
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“It didn’t go down terribly well initially until I got to the chorus,” McCloskey said.
Whether he gets to take to the international stage again, when Italy come to Dublin in just under a fortnight, remains to be seen. McCloskey has received positive feedback from his coaches and team-mates but Joe Schmidt, the Ireland head coach, noted a bit of looseness in possession after the game on Saturday.
McCloskey admitted that there were improvements to be made with regards to his display and his midfield partnership with Robbie Henshaw. Also notable were the defensive issues, highlighted by Brian O’Driscoll, the former Ireland captain, between McCloskey and Henshaw that may point to Jared Payne being restored in the would-be wooden-spoon decider with the Italians at the Aviva Stadium.
Issues with Payne��s hamstring provided McCloskey with the opportunity to make an impression in training and convince Schmidt that he was ready to make the step-up to international level and the player felt that he coped well with the occasion.
“I was as comfortable as anyone can feel going out in front of 82,000 people for your first cap. I wasn’t too nervous, I was more nervous earlier in the day but once I got out there it was like a normal game of rugby really,” McCloskey said.
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There was an early hospital pass from Rob Kearney close to his own posts that could have left him needing the smelling salts, but McCloskey didn’t panic and was aware enough not to be spooked by the on-rushing English defence.
“I was a wee bit [nervous] but then I realised it was only [Owen] Farrell,” McCloskey said. “I made sure I caught it, made sure I presented it back and went from there. It’s not the worst when you’re 110kg and have got about 20 kilos on the fella coming in to tackle you.”
Schmidt’s video review sessions have a cutting reputation, however, and this week’s tale of the tape was nothing new to McCloskey given that the video nasties in training are also scrutinised by New Zealander coach. Accountability is all part of the job when you play for Ireland, a career that wasn’t even on McCloskey’s radar four years ago.
After leaving Bangor Grammar School, McCloskey enrolled in Queen’s University Belfast, where he studied structural engineering with architecture. He took up his rugby with Dungannon in the All Ireland League where his skillset as a former scrum half and fly half showed that he was not a one-dimensional battering-ram centre.
His performances earned him a place in Ulster’s sub academy, then the full academy, and soon after, a development contract followed. Since making his provincial debut two years ago, he has won 37 caps for Ulster, where his power running has been complemented neatly with quick feet and a reliable offloading game.
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“When I was playing well with Dungannon and people were talking of me going into the academy, I don’t think I ever dreamed of playing for Ireland four years later, so it’s gone really well,” McCloskey said.
Right now his fighting weight is 110kg and as long as his speed isn’t compromised, McCloskey, Ireland’s biggest-ever centre, has not ruled out adding a bit more ballast. In the meantime, he is working tirelessly on his passing game, and it’s clear he wants to be seen as an all-round threat.
“As you play more games, the subtleties just come more than anything. If you play at that level, at European and PRO12 standard, you just get used to it and get more confident at doing things that you maybe wouldn’t have done at the start,” McCloskey said.
Will he start against Italy on March 12?
“I’d love to get my chance, but I don’t pick the team so I’ll see how it goes,” McCloskey said.