Ulster Rugby v Zebre

STUART McCL

ˆ;uŊ7;r;m7-0Ѵ; &Ѵv|;u 1;m|u; "|†-u| 1 Ѵovh;‹ u-1h;7 †r ‹;| -mo|_;u l;lou-0Ѵ; v_b[ bm Ѵ-v| ub7-‹Ľv _-u7Ŋ=o†]_| ‰bm oˆ;u |_; vru;‹vķ 1om|ub0†ঞm] - l-mŊo=Ŋ|_; l-|1_ r;u=oul-m1; and the game’s only try to secure a crucial away ‰bm bm |_; †bmm;vv ! ƐƓĺ The result at Morganstone Brewery Field is just one of many highlights from the Bangor man’s Cuv| ƐƏƏ -rr;-u-m1;v bm ‰_b|; -m7 u;7 ŋ -m7 bm the form of his life at age 26, Ulster fans can be sure there is plenty more to come. !;Y;1ঞm] om |_; _b]_Ѵb]_|v o= _bv 1-u;;u |o 7-|;ķ McCloskey immediately thinks of some of the big †uor;-m ঞ;v =uol |_; r-v| Cˆ; v;-vomvĺ “There have been so many great days,” he says. ľ u;l;l0;u 0;-ঞm] Ѵ;ulom| -| _ol;ķ 0;-ঞm] Toulouse home and away, and obviously this year that Racing game at home. ľ †| |_;u; _-ˆ; 0;;m vol; ]oo7 ! ƐƓ om;v |ooķ Ѵbh; 7;=;-ঞm] ;bmv|;u -| _ol; |‰o ‹;-uv ago. We’ve had some good results in the last few years, and been unlucky with a few when maybe we could have gone further.” While last week’s performance in Bridgend may not live too long in the memory of many of the Ulster fanbase, McCloskey admits he couldn’t be _-rrb;u ‰b|_ |_; o†|1ol;ķ om 0o|_ - 1oѴѴ;1ঞˆ; and personal level. “I couldn’t really ask for much more,” he begins. “It was a good team performance, and keeping the score to zero away from home is always a ]oo7 |_bm]ķ vo -u;7 Ő -‹m;ķ ;=;m1; o-1_ő ‰bѴѴ be happy. There will be a few things to work on |_bv ‰;;hķ o0ˆbo†vѴ‹ķ bm -‚-1hķ vo ‰;ĽѴѴ 0†bѴ7 =uol there.”

1 Ѵovh;‹ ‰-v 0o|_ |_; -u1_b|;1| -m7 ;Š;1†|ou o= |_; l-|1_Ŋ7;Cmbm] |u‹ bm )-Ѵ;v ŋ 1u;-ঞm] |_; orrou|†mb|‹ ‰b|_ om; o= _bv |u-7;l-uh rbѴ;Ŋ 7ubˆbm] u†mv =uol lb7C;Ѵ7ķ -m7 rb1hbm] †r =uol ;|;u ;Ѵvom |o Cmbv_ o@ bm |_; 1oum;u ŋ 0†| -7lb|v 0;bm] =;-u=†Ѵ o= mo| ];মm] 1u;7b| =ou |_; v1ou;ķ ]bˆ;m |_; -rr-u;m| bm|;mঞom-Ѵ hmo1hŊom 0‹ vru;‹v ‰bm] †h; ou]-m bm |_; 0†bѴ7Ŋ†rĺ ľ ‰-v _-rr‹ |o 0; ]bˆ;m |_; |u‹ķĿ _; ;ŠrѴ-bmvĺ ľ thought it was going to be a penalty try, but I was glad to take it and pleased the referee gave it to me.” The score was McCloskey’s third of the season -m7 Ɛƕ|_ bm &Ѵv|;u 1oѴo†uvķ -m ;Š1;ѴѴ;m| u;|†um =ou ƐƏƏ -rr;-u-m1;vĺ )_;m -vh;7 b= _; _-7 imagined such an illustrious career when making _bv v;mbou 7;0†| -]-bmv| |_; u-]omv 0-1h bm ;0u†-u‹ ƑƏƐƓķ |_; 1;m|u; u;l-bmv |‹rb1-ѴѴ‹ grounded. ľ!b]_| -| |_; v|-u| ‰-vmĽ| |_bmhbm] -0o†| ];মm] ƐƏƏ 1-rvĿķ _; ;ŠrѴ-bmvĺ ľ ‰-v f†v| |_bmhbm] -0o†| ];মm] l‹ m;Š| om;ĺ †| om1; ‹o† ];| |o ƔƏ ‰_;m ‹o†Ľu; rѴ-‹bm] - 0b|ķ ‹o† |_bmh ƐƏƏ bv -1_b;ˆ-0Ѵ; -v Ѵom] -v ‹o† 7omĽ| ];| bmf†u;7ĺ ˆ;u the last two to three years I haven’t really had too many injuries, so I’ve been lucky to stay in the team. “It’s funny moving around the changing room,” he 1omঞm†;vĺ ľ); _-ˆ; o†u 1_-m]bm] uool vro|v based on the amount of caps you have, so I’ve loˆ;7 †r -0o†| ƐƏ rѴ-1;v bm |_; Ѵ-v| ‹;-uĴĿ As the interview progresses it becomes clear |_-| 1 Ѵovh;‹ _-v omѴ‹ vo l†1_ ঞl; =ou u;|uovr;1ঞomķ -m7 bv lou; bm|;u;v|;7 bm Ѵoohbm] |o |_; =†|†u; ŋ v|-uঞm] ‰b|_ |o7-‹Ľv ˆbvb|ouvķ Zebre, an opponent he refuses to underrate.

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