Stuart McCloskey is open to the idea of playing in the forwards and becoming a hybrid player for Ulster and Ireland, but has some work to do if he is to convince one coach.
This comes after Andre Esterhuizen’s success in doing just that for the Springboks in 2025, with the centre repeatedly coming off the bench for South Africa and featuring at flank despite playing his entire career in the midfield.
McCloskey and Esterhuizen are of a similar build, both standing at around 1.93 m tall and weighing north of 115 kilograms. Furthermore, they share similarities with their international careers, with appearances coming in dribs and drabs, as both Ireland and South Africa have had a plethora of talented centres ahead of them.
That all changed for Esterhuizen in 2025 when Tony Brown tabled the idea of experimenting with the Sharks star as an option in the forward pack as well as the bench. Knowing that this could improve his chances of more regular appearances for the Springboks, the 31-year-old jumped at the opportunity and added 10 caps to his name in 2025, having earned 19 appearances between 2018 and 2024.
While McCloskey started all five of Ireland’s Six Nations matches this Championship, thanks in part to both Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw being absent at the start of the campaign, he has previously struggled to lock in a regular place in the matchday 23 and if he is to copy his South African counterpart’s ploy, his argument to forward’s coach Paul O’Connell will need to be more convincing.
McCloskey’s hybrid bid
The powerhouse centre discussed the prospect of becoming a hybrid player when the question was posed to him by Springboks legend Jean de Villiers on the Verdict podcast.
“Andre Esterhuizen is covering the flank and midfield. You certainly come into that category as well. Is that something you’d consider?” De Villiers asked.
“Andre does it pretty well now. I don’t think it will ever be at his level,” McCloskey replied.
“I keep joking to Paul O’Connell that I should do it, and he laughs me off. He doesn’t really give me much time.
“So, I don’t think I’m on his radar, but listen, I’d never say no. I don’t know what role that’ll be.
“I’m 117 kilos, surely I could get the maul all going at that point.”
“That is massive,” De Villiers quipped.
“You could definitely do a job there. You’ll get into the Bok pack with that body, speed and skillset.”
“Exactly!” McCloskey replied with De Villiers adding: “Yeah, come on Paulie, give him a go.”
“Yeah. Give me a go,” the Ireland star said.
Perhaps O’Connell’s hesitation stems from McCloskey’s previous admission though, as the centre said he is reluctant to get stuck into the coach’s breakdown and forwards sessions.
“How is Paul O’Connell in that environment? Because he’s an absolute legend of a man in my eyes,” De Villiers asked earlier in the podcast.
“He’s great, he’s probably not quite as intense as he was as a player, thankfully,” McCloskey replied.
“He does breakdown and forwards, neither of which I try to take too much part in.
“It’s funny he’s coaching the breakdown now, but some of his breakdown clips from maybe 15 years ago, you would have got red-carded and banned for about 10 weeks every game – that’s how the times have changed.”
Esterhuizen: “You need to learn to adapt as a player”
While McCloskey enjoyed a fantastic Six Nations campaign, where he dominated and earned a nomination for player of the championship, he will be wary that he could once again fall down the pecking order further down the line when Aki and Henshaw are back fit and firing. Additionally, there are other options at Andy Farrell’s disposal in the form of Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne.
The ability to cover at flank and centre could make him a more tantalising selection prospect, like with Esterhuizen, who essentially gave the Boks a flexible 5-3 and 6-2 bench split several times last year.
“It’s been a good experience. I have enjoyed it and I believe it is a good attribute for the future,” Esterhuizen told reporters in December.
“It offers so many more options. As you gets older, you learn how you can slot into different positions and it helps to get into the team more consistently.
“You need to learn to adapt as a player. I think it helps me as a player personally and it helps the team as well.”
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