IT WAS AN Ulster Schools Senior Cup semi-final in 2014 that underlined to Ulster Rugby that they had a truly outstanding prospect on their hands in Jacob Stockdale.
Then playing at outside centre, Stockdale was part of a Wallace High School team that was beaten 17-12 by Methody, and his capacity to tear the opposition defence apart was eye-opening.
Stockdale – who first played rugby with Ballynahinch RFC – had already represented Ulster and Ireland Schools at that stage, but his performance in defeat stressed just how good he could be.
“It was his ability to break the line,” says Kieran Campbell, the head of Ulster’s academy, of a player he has worked closely with in recent years.
“He was playing 13 that day and he gave Methody a real scare in a game they were hot favourites for. He was in the pathway at that stage but that’s when he showed us he had something special.
“In a big game in the context of his age, it was very exciting.”
Just over two years before that semi-final, Stockdale wasn’t on the radar as an Ulster prospect. He wasn’t even making the first-choice teams for his age grade in his school.
As has been well documented, his growth spurt was a late one and it was only in his final two years as a student at Wallace that he came to prominence on the rugby pitch, his coach Derek Suffern having been a vital influence in keeping him interested in the sport.
Stockdale suddenly grew before lower sixth form – the equivalent of fifth year – and with Suffern’s coaching and guidance, he discovered an ability that has developed to the point where he is a first-choice wing for Joe Schmidt’s Ireland at the age of just 21.
Stockdale’s eight tries in seven Tests for Ireland ahead of today’s clash with Scotland in Dublin [KO 2.15pm] have underlined his rich potential and his physical stature means he is well suited to the game at the top level.
Nigel Carolan, the current Connacht attack coach, worked with the 6ft 3ins Stockdale for two years when he was Ireland U20s coach, and he could instantly see the promise.
“In my first year with the 20s, this big guy came down from Ulster,” recalls Carolan. “Lots of the players at that level have a lot of physical development ahead of them but he was one who was more advanced in that area.”
Stockdale’s personality is something that Carolan and Campbell both pick out as a key strength.
Stepping into Test rugby so young can be a brutal experience but Stockdale appears to have taken everything in his stride, including the questioning of his defensive ability in recent times – an area the player strives to improve himself.
“Jacob is hugely phlegmatic,” says Campbell. “He’s confident but he’s just extremely laidback – that has its highs and its frustrations as well!
“But that’s what makes Jacob, I think. People felt he had a setback in that French game, for example, but Jacob is very level-headed. I wouldn’t say he’s overconfident but he is confident, relaxed and in that way he’s quite similar to Tommy Bowe.
“He doesn’t allow small setbacks to get on top of him and it gives him that ability to really put things behind him and recover quickly. In the pro game, that’s hugely important because that amount of focus on you, you can’t allow little setbacks to hurt you.”
Stockdale is extremely close to his family, and he bears a tattoo on his right bicep in the shape of a cross with each of their initials around it.
His father, Graham, played rugby for Ballyclare, where the Stockdales lived until a move to Ballynahinch.
“He certainly has a very settled and supportive family life and I know his relationship with his father is important to him,” says Campbell. “Whenever he comes back from Ireland camp, his priority is always to see his family and he’s got a good homestead and, most importantly for him, a very grounded family.”
In the U20s set-up, Stockdale impressed Carolan with his ability to contribute off the field, as well as with his thrilling attacking play on it.
“Even in meetings and unit sessions, he was great to offer up his opinion,” says Carolan. “When you asked, he always had pretty logical opinions. Off the pitch, he’s a bit of a Jack the Lad, he loved messing and having a laugh.
“But when he’s on, he’s on. That’s what was most enjoyable about working with him. He knew when to have the fun and when to work.
“He also had great presence and that’s an area where a lot of young players, particularly in the back three, don’t have that kind of presence.”
Interestingly, Stockdale’s second World Championship with the U20s saw him playing fullback and scoring four tries in four appearances as they beat New Zealand and reached the final, the Ulsterman having previously featured on the wing.
While Campbell can see Stockdale potentially featuring as an outside centre again in the future, Carolan feels fullback is another position in which the Ulsterman could star, thanks in part to his booming left-footed kick.
“He’s one of the few guys that can still spiral his kicks and when he gets a hold of them, they can really fly,” says Carolan.
“In my last year in the World Cup, he started all of the games at fullback and he just had that presence. Even in the final when the game was out of sight against England, he was still looking to attack and he set-up a brilliant try for Shane Daly.”
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Athletically speaking, Stockdale’s stature now very much belies his years as one of the small kids in Wallace – he weighs in at over 100kg to go along with his 6ft 3ins height.
Carolan says Stockdale “was a joy” to watch in full flight for the U20s and points out that he is “a real glider as a runner.”
Campbell explains that the Ulster academy worked hard with Stockdale on his footwork and believes the youngster is continuing to show evidence of his diligence in improving that aspect of his game.
“That’s hugely important because the way the game has gone, we need guys like that. Gone are the days where running over the top of people is going to be hugely effective, so he can stand people up now.
“If you go back to that try against Argentina in November, he ran that good line but also had the footwork and outside break to then finish it. That was a real growth for him and it’s something he’s really developing into his game.
“His physical presence is reflected in his tackles too, he really can hit someone in the tackle. That’s reflective of his size but also that he’s getting better reads too, picking those opportunities where he can pick off a pass or a line and really do some damage to someone.”
While Stockdale’s ability in contact is evident, there remains work to be done on his defensive decision-making, as seen for the try Wales scored through Aaron Shingler two weekends ago in Dublin.
Carolan feels that Stockdale can also improve his body height going into the tackle, but explains that the wing has shown his ability to learn rapidly.
“What I’ve seen is that his capacity to learn and develop in a short space of time has been good, so I don’t think that’s a major problem,” says Carolan.
“It’s a focus area for him, but it’s all happened for him in a short space of time. The step up does expose your frailties, but as long as you’re willing to focus on them and put in the work, I don’t see them being problem areas.”
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The try-scoring rate Stockdale has started his Test career at has been frightening and he couldn’t be blamed for pondering whether he will be the man to break Brian O’Driscoll’s record of 46 tries for Ireland in the future.
Carolan sees Stockdale as “a Denis Hickie sort of player where you just give him a chance, get the ball into his hands,” while Campbell has confidence that Stockdale will keep scoring.
“He has a nice feel for the lines he takes off the wing and his finishing power is there,” says Campbell. “He’s picking up tries with really great finishes and others are just about having a good feel for the game. Jacob is quite an intuitive player.
“Look at the try himself and Charles Piutau scored here at Ulster against Connacht, that interplay and then to pick that line off Charles to finish it, that’s instinctive. It wasn’t pre-planned, he was just working on the pictures he saw during the game and it was a really nice finish.”
Funnily enough, Carolan points out that Stockdale’s try-scoring habits gave the Ireland U20s a couple of frights.
“As a coach, he gave us the odd heart failure when he was scoring,” says the Connacht man. “It’s not a question of actually scoring but his technicalities of scoring and dropping his body when he’s going over the line.
“He could run the ball past defenders in the in-goal area or on the line he could still be upright. He might score the try two metres into the in-goal zone rather than on the line!”
But both coaches are in total agreement that the best is yet to come from Stockdale.
“He tends to be in the right place at the right time but the biggest thing ahead, and what he’s shown so far, is durability,” says Carolan. “He’s still in the infancy of his career but if he can stay relatively injury-free he can improve and he’ll get more confidence.
“The more confidence he gets, the more dangerous he’s going to be with ball in hand. He’s not afraid to go for an intercept, to have a go, to take on defenders and even at this stage, it shows that he is confident.”
Campbell concurs.
“I don’t think Jacob is near his potential,” says the Ulsterman. “Give him another three or four years and I think we will see the best of Jacob. What we’re seeing at the moment is pretty exciting and he just needs to keep growing.
“He’s a settled kid and I do think that every step he’s taken up, he’s got better. That will continue.”
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This guy is completely overratted
@jay bernard: don’t know how he warrants a contract of that size given his achievements in the game. He needs to start scoring regularly especially if the Wissam Ben Yedder rumours are true. WBY is a real fox in the box, Deschamps really rates him.
Best goal tally for 21 and under in the EPL, La Liga & Seria A in what was a shocking season under two different managers. 200k going to 300k based on incentives. Manchester born and bred. He’ll turn out to be some player yet
An absolute joke.
It’s 200k a week max as per Simon Stone – reliable United journo
@Brian: and you think that even £200,000 is acceptable for a player that scored 10 league goals last season. He’s English!!! He has been overhyped and overrated since they Day he broke into the first team by the British press, £200,000 per week for a very average player that would be more suited to playing for a team like Newcastle, Everton or Southampton. Mid table player at best, that shouldn’t be earning anything over 100,000 never mind 200,000 or 300,000.
@Devilsavocado: And eventually he will be destroyed by the British press too, I wish Utd would sell him on now
Beans Beans Beans
@Alan Brazil: is all you eat. Stand well back!
The club is a circus. Run by clowns who aren’t football men
@munsterman: and if you look at the nonsense that ich bin Brendan has been scribbling up there, it seems they are supported by a few clowns as well…..
@Devilsavocado: haha! G!mp
@Ich bin brendan: come on,, seriously mate, you really don’t believe the nonsense that you were writing in your previous posts do you?? There isn’t a club that finished in the top 5 above Utd that the lad would get into as a first team player. Not a single club that will be in the champions league next year had a bit of interest in buying him, he’s at best a bench player for Utd, but a 200,000 a week bench player??? WTF is going on at Utd that they offered that much money to him?? Where else was he going to go, they easily could have halved that and even then he should still consider himself lucky to be wearing the Utd jersey,, come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this….
@Devilsavocado: quit looking for validation. I’ll correct myself in that he didn’t score v pool in their 3-1 spanking but everything stated is fact inc. turning the best rb inside out and scoring in every debut. Barcelona were being touted as making an official approach, how much of that is being true is as truthful to say not a single team were, it would take a team of that stature to pull a local lad away from his local team. Apart from Kane for Spurs there isn’t a top 5 team that would produce an academy player like him. 200,000K is daft money but that’s the state of the club atm, not many want the Glazers there but that’s what they’re working with. I’m delighted he’s there for another 4 yrs, he’s got the wage now it’s upto him to start earning it, I believe he will.
@Ich bin brendan: ok fair enough, you have your opinion on the matter and people that actually know a bit about football have there’s. Let’s be honest here, I doesn’t matter that your opinion is obviously that of a delusional fan that can’t look at things without your fan glasses on but that’s ok,, we will leave it there and I’ll let you get back to your colouring book and crayons, there’s a good boy,, don’t stay up to late… :) validate myself, ha ha ha ha ha..
@Devilsavocado: “that actually know a bit about football” you have me stumped, you’ve trouble validating your opinionated drivel. “Ha ha ha” like I said before, G!mp
He’s got to start delivering on his promise . A lot of cash for a man still not scoring regularly but he does have the potential to be an absolute world class player I just hope he does start getting 30 odd goals a season .
On his debut he’s scored 2 in the EPL, same in his Europa, 1 Champions league and on his derby debut. Also turned the best rb in the country inside out to score against their biggest rivals, with the golden glove winner in goal!
@Ich bin brendan: can throw in his debut in the EFL & FA Cup as well. So every cup comp available to him. Calling him over rated is being bias, he’s proven he’s capable, needs consistency with age.
Reminds me of Ian Rush
His nose is offside
Even as a man utd fan, I think he doesn’t deserve this, prove your worth then get the money, he didn’t prove anything last season to deserve half this money.