Who is Stuart McCloskey: Ten things you should know about the Ireland centre

Sarah Rendell

McCloskey has fought hard to get back into the Ireland team

Stuart McCloskey is a resilient player who was patient and hardworking to get back into the Ireland team.

He is a great ball carrier and gets his teams on the front foot.

Read more: Ireland Six Nations squad

Ten things you should know about Stuart McCloskey

1.  Stuart McCloskey on 6 August 1992 in Bangor, Northern Ireland. He stands at 6ft 4in (1.93m) and weighs 17st 7lbs (111kg).

2. He has exclusively played for Ulster throughout his senior career and won the club’s Young Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season.

3. McCloskey made his Ireland debut against England in 2016.

4. McCloskey has said his days on the pitch at Bangor Grammar School are some of his best memories. He told the school prospectus: “I’ve played in front of 80,000 people but my best memories are stepping out to play a Schools’ Cup match at the old BGS playing fields.

“The friends I made during my time at school are still my best mates now and I will always remember my school days as some of the best I’ve ever had – my advice to any BGS boy is to get involved, get out there and enjoy every minute of it!”

5. He studied structural engineering with architecture degree at Queens University Belfast.

6. When he was younger he took part in a charity boxing match.

7. He says he signed a new contract for Ulster in 2021 partly due to his want for more Ireland caps. He told the BBC: “I suppose one of the reasons I stayed around at Ulster, when I signed on for another three years, was so that I could maybe have a go at a World Cup and maybe get a few more caps.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of that before I signed. So that’s driving me on, but also to be the best I can be.”

Stuart McCloskey

Stuart McCloskey has played for Ulster throughout his career (Getty Images)

8. He married long-time partner Hannah in 2022 and the couple share son Arlo together.

9. He is a fan of the NBA and supports the Lakers.

10. McCloksey likes to play golf.

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