There was plenty to be encouraged about from an Irish point of view after Saturday’s win over England, with the performance from Stuart McCloskey right at the top of the list.

The Ulster star has been in sensational form throughout this year’s Six Nations, even when playing in a struggling team. He was the standout player against both France and Italy, producing another big display at Twickenham.

The 33-year old is finally getting the recognition that his form over the last couple of years deserved, even outside of Ireland.

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Stuart McCloskey Given Six Nations Nickname By French Fans

Stuart McCloskey has had to bide his time when it came to getting an opportunity at test level, struggling to get consistent playing time behind Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw. He has now made the most of the chance he has been given in this year’s Six Nations.

The centre has received quite a bit of praise from Ireland fans over the last few weeks, with that adoration now coming from a bit further afield.

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It seems that French rugby fans have particularly taken to the Irishman, even giving him an interesting nickname. McCloskey has seemingly been christened as the ‘Irish fridge’ by some in France.

Le “frigo irlandais” Stuart McCloskey a vraiment fait des dégâts au centre du terrain contre les anglais :
– 14/16 au placages
– 56 m parcourus
– 1 franchissement
– 5 defs battus
– 3 offloads
– 1 retour défensif de l’espace pic.twitter.com/a1W96cYwAJ

— Yann UBB LG – Podcast UBBistes ⭐ (@tuisovaubb) February 22, 2026

The “Irish fridge” Stuart McCloskey really wreaked havoc in the center of the pitch against the English:
– 14/16 tackles
– 56 m gained
– 1 break
– 5 defenders beaten
– 3 offloads
– 1 defensive exit from the space

There was even an intriguing image of the kitchen appliance in action over on Reddit.

McCloskey’s physical prowess has certainly been on show in this year’s Six Nations, perhaps best evidenced by his remarkable tackle on Marcus Smith at Twickenham.

In saying that, he has a lot more to his game than just that. His play with ball in hand has been exceptional throughout the championship.

Speaking after yesterday’s game, McCloskey summed up what it meant to become a key player for Ireland at this point in his career.

I think I said to myself a few years ago, I’m just going to enjoy every game I get from now on.

I obviously haven’t played as much as I would have liked over the years.

Not to turn my nose up at how many caps I have, but I would have loved more. And I think at the start, I probably didn’t enjoy it, I was just feeling the pressure.

Now, let’s take every chance I have and try to enjoy everything I do out here. It’s amazing to do it in that jersey, what it represents and do it for the team that we have in there.

Well said.

With a couple of big games still to come, Stuart McCloskey will have plenty more to offer Ireland over the remainder of the championship.

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