Tour grandad Stuart McCloskey still adding strings to his bow

He'll be the veteran on Ireland's trip to Georgia, but Stuart McCloskey still believes he has improving to do.

Stuart McCloskey poses for a portrait during an Ireland rugby media conference at the IRFU High Performance Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Whichever end of the age spectrum in a rugby squad a player may find themselves, the reminders of said fact are constant. Just ask Henry Pollock, tour baby with the British & Irish Lions and designated custodian of the stuffed big cat for the duration of the trip to Australia.

For Stuart McCloskey, the grandad of the Ireland squad newly arrived in Tbilisi ahead of Saturday’s Test against Georgia, there is the good-natured barracking he receives from interim head coach Paul O’Connell, who is expected to name the 32-year-old at inside centre on Thursday.