New boss went with tried and trusted options BIG MAC has a right to be CHEESED OF

After his Six Nations snub, McCloskey will look to prove a point today

THE widespread consensus around Andy Farrell’s first Six Nations squad was that it recognised form across the provinces.

Rookies like Caelan Doris, Max Deegan, Jack O’Donoghue and Dave Heffernan earned deserved call-ups, while veterans such as Devin Toner and Jack McGrath were welcomed back into the fray after falling down the pecking order under the previous coaching regime.

There were some in-form players who did not get the call, however.

The shock omission of Rhys Ruddock apart, the snubbing of Stuart McCloskey caused quite the reaction on Wednesday after Farrell’s squad was announced.

The 6ft 4in, 17 stone midfielder never seemed to fully convince Joe Schmidt that he had the right stuff for Test rugby. The giant Ulster centre would win just three caps across the Kiwi’s six-and-ahalf year reign as head coach.

McCloskey’s sizeable frame allows him to break tackles and offload with regularity. It’s those attributes that have made him such an attacking force at his province, but that instinct to play fast and loose never really went down well with Schmidt, who liked to play the percentages and retain possession.

Having a maverick in the midfield throwing wild passes and risking turnovers made him decidedly jumpy. McCloskey is an affable, laid-back character as well and it is understood that he apparently wasn’t the best student when he came to learning the ‘detail’ that was part of Schmidt’s forensic game plans.

He was seemingly miles behind the quartet of frontline centres in Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Chris Farrell. All four travelled to Japan for the World Cup and they were all selected en bloc again earlier this week.

Back in the Schmidt era, the likes of Rory Scannell and Tom Farrell had seemingly jumped ahead of McCloskey in the queue as well.

But things were meant to be different under Farrell. This was a clean slate and a chance for every player to press their claims to a new coaching ticket with a different view on things.

Not only was McCloskey being tipped to break into the squad, many former players and pundits were tipping him to start at inside centre against the Scots in a few