McCloskey Advocates for Gesi After Red Card Incident in Ulster's Victory
Stuart McCloskey expressed his hope that Zebre's Simone Gesi does not face an extended ban following a red card in Ulster's 28-12 win over the Italian club during the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday. Gesi received the red card for clawing McCloskey's eye, but the 33-year-old centre believes that further punishment is unnecessary. In his comments to BBC Sport NI, McCloskey stated: "The eye is fine." "I thought it was fairly accidental." "I don't think there was any malice in it. Those things happen sometimes and I hope he doesn't get banned for any length of time. I think a red card will suffice for it." This match marked McCloskey's first appearance for Ulster after an impressive Six Nations campaign with Ireland, where he earned a nomination for player of the tournament. Ireland secured the Triple Crown by defeating Scotland on the final day, while France clinched the championship with a dramatic last-minute penalty by Thomas Ramos against England. Reflecting on the Six Nations, McCloskey noted: "Ramos is Ramos." "What a final day for the fans." He admitted that while he wished Ireland had won the tournament outright, the finale was thrilling. "If you gave us that scenario at the end of the day and said, 'Ramos will have a kick from 40 metres out in front of the post to win it', I think we would have taken the odds of that. It was an amazing performance and an amazing game. I don't think anyone thought he was going to miss it."
Source: BBC Sport - 2026-04-01