When Andy Farrell described Stuart McCloskey as "unbelievably patient" on Thursday, it felt like an understatement.
Nine years and 21 caps on from making his debut for Ireland against England at Twickenham, McCloskey will finally get a crack at the All Blacks.
Had the chips fallen another way, the 33-year-old could be pushing towards a half-century of appearances for Ireland, but he's had the misfortune of competing for gametime in the Irish 12 shirt with a pair of British and Irish Lions, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw.
A classic inside centre, he’s arguably been a victim of his style of play.
With Aki and Henshaw more versatile in their ability to switch midfield channels, McCloskey’s status as an out-and-out 12 has ensured that all but four of his Ireland caps have been in the starting team.
Up until the last two seasons, he’s either been a starter or not involved.
While traditionally third in the depth chart for the 12 jersey, the centre’s ability has been better recognised by Farrell in the last three years.
McCloskey’s debut came under Joe Schmidt away to England in 2016, winning his first cap alongside Josh van der Flier and Ultan Dillane. While Van der Flier and Dillane would feature more regularly for Ireland over the next few years, the Ulsterman was a bit-time player.
He was generally good for one cap each season, often rolled out as part of a heavily rotated side for a game against lower ranked opposition. The kind of sporadic appearances which where it was difficult to make a lasting impression.
After his debut it would be five more years before he featured for Ireland against Tier 1 opposition; Ireland’s home game against Japan in the summer if 2021 was just his sixth cap, by which point he was almost 29-years-old.
He’s spoken previously of his frustrations around that time, where he seemed destined to be just another face-didn't-fit player. Offers from abroad came in over the years, but the lure of an Irish jersey remained.
"There were definitely times when I did think about it [leaving]," he said in a 2023 interview, citing the support of his wife, Hannah, as one of the key reasons he never took the French money.
"She’d be the one, when I was disheartened by the whole thing at times, and thinking about going away and playing in different places, but felt that if I stuck at it maybe I would get a chance, and I’d regret it if I did go. It’s turned out alright."
Most frustrating for McCloskey would be that any time he has been given a proper opportunity to impress, he generally has.
When he was finally put in for a "big" Irish game – against South Africa at Aviva Stadium in 2022 – he was the standout player on the pitch before injury forced him off with less than 30 minutes played, breaking three tackles with the ball in hand and making nine tackles defensively, while also winning a jackal penalty.
Despite fears he had broken his arm in that game, he was able to recover swiftly and start Ireland’s next five games, contributing to an Autumn Nations Series clean sweep and a Six Nations Grand Slam, building an impressive credit score with Farrell, who brought him to the World Cup in 2023, even when he was well-stocked for centre options.
In the last two years, his role in the Ireland squad has grown further, even if he’s remained behind Aki and Henshaw in the pecking order.
Four of his last seven caps have come from the bench, most notably in the second Test against South Africa in Durban in 2024, where he played his part in an epic Irish comeback to level the series.
His physical impact and depth of experience is now defying his lack of versatility. Farrell is finding ways to fit him into games.
When Ireland toured Georgia and Portugal this summer, he was the elder statesman of the squad, a few weeks shy of 33, and three years older than anyone else in the group.
It would have been an easy and arguably popular call to give McCloskey the summer off, throwing the 12 jersey to a younger player in Tbilisi and Lisbon, but his role in an otherwise young squad hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
"From the conversations that I've had, from things that I've seen during pre-season, he's upped his game, certainly in the leadership role," Farrell said this week.
"That has spilled over into the few performances that he's had so far, so he thoroughly deserves his chance."
He’s started this season in flying form, part of an Ulster side that won their first three games of the season, while his absence was keenly felt by the province last week in Johannesburg against the Lions, as they fell to their first defeat of the campaign.
"Stuart McCloskey is without a shadow of a doubt the best 12 this season, so he is going to start at 12," Stephen Ferris confidently predicted last week.
It’s worth keeping in mind that McCloskey hasn’t played in an Ireland defeat since his debut against England back in 2016.
If that run continues this weekend in Chicago, it’ll likely be the sweetest day of the Bangor Bulldozer’s career.
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow a live blog of Ireland v New Zealand from 8.10pm on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport.
