Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh

S T U A R T M c C L O S K E Y

Stuart McCloskey has started this season in similar fashion to how he finished the last one, as he produced a barnstorming performance in last weekend’s win over Scarlets. HOPING TO CONTINUE FINE FORM

young. Al (O’Connor) is the same age as me, you have Hendy (Iain Henderson) and Marcell (Coetzee) who are both pretty young but have played at the highest level. They all add real value and that’s what I’m trying to do. “I try to make the young backs, in particular, feel at home. I know what I felt like at 20/21 when I came into the system and they are even younger now; guys like Aaron Sexton and Stewart Moore are 17/18 so I don’t know how they feel! “I went down to Bangor Grammar to do a bit of coaching and saw Aaron Sexton at school, which was strange. I’m just trying to be a good lad and I think that is what most of the squad is like.” While Edinburgh lost their opener against Ospreys last weekend, they won 21 of their 27 regular season games last season in the PRO14 and Challenge Cup, so McCloskey knows that they will provide a stern challenge at Kingspan Stadium “Richard Cockerill has made a real impact since he took over as their Director of Rugby and they are extremely difficult to beat. They have an excellent set piece and they are very good defensively, so it will be an interesting clash. “We have prepared really well over the past couple of weeks and the challenge for us is to carry that into this game. There is definitely stuff to work on from last week and hopefully we can show improvements in those areas.”

Five penalties from the boot of John Cooney helped Ulster to a 15-13 win against last season’s beaten finalists, but it was McCloskey who caught the eye with a hugely effective performance that saw him gain over 50 metres from 12 carries, and the twice-capped Ireland centre was awarded the man of the Match award for his endeavours. “I just tried to give the guys something to go to. Billy (Burns), if there is nothing else on, will give me the ball and I’ll try to do something and get the guys going forward again. That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” said McCloskey. Under new Head Coach Dan McFarland, Ulster delivered an impressive attacking display, but failed to cross the whitewash in a tight game. They registered stats of 60% territory and possession, and also made an impressive 23 offloads, something which McCloskey relished: “Personally I want to be playing that offloading game. I want to try and get through contact and get guys running off me. I think the tries will come - there were definitely chances out there.” With 83 provincial appearances to his name, McCloskey is now regarded as senior player within the Ulster ranks. Despite being just 26 years of age, he says he’s happy to use his experience to mentor the many young players coming through the Academy system. “I think there are a lot of experienced guys to set an example, but the age profile is quite

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