JACOB STOCKDALE’S CAMEO at fullback during Ulster’s impressive Guinness Pro14 victory at Edinburgh last weekend provided a snapshot of what the 23-year-old could offer in the backfield going forward.
Stockdale has made his meteoric rise in club and international rugby on the wing, but his performance with the number 15 jersey on his back at Murrayfield not only showed his versatility, but the potential for him to occupy the position in the future.
With Rob Kearney, now 33, yet to decide on what his next step will be after this year’s World Cup, Joe Schmidt has exposed Jordan Larmour to Test rugby in the backfield, and Andy Dunne believes Stockdale can be another exciting option at fullback.
Speaking on this week’s The42 Rugby Weekly, Dunne and Murray Kinsella discussed the merits of having an attacking fullback in your team, while also touching on Irish rugby’s mindset when it comes to who wears the 15 jersey.
“Stockdale breaks the current Irish mentality in terms of the mould your fullback,” Dunne said.
“We’re all a bit fearful of Larmour and we’re all a bit fearful of Stockdale because they’re really good attacking threats, which says a lot about how we think. It’s great to see Kearney because he’s commanding in defence, his positional awareness, what he brings to the overall group and it’s all a very steady eddy kind of mentality.
“There’s equal value in having a brilliant attacking fullback as there is having a brilliant defensive fullback and ideally we’ll have someone who has both somewhere on the spectrum. Kearney’s attacking threat is certainly not what it was but he is peerless in terms of his command of the backfield.
“But there is such a thing as fullbacks who don’t have that, who can create two tries a match and that’s 14 points. So there’s a lot of value in that too. It’s about the mindset we have.
“I think Stockdale could be a brilliantly exciting addition to Irish fullback play in a couple of years. I don’t see it happening come October/November but you got a little inkling there last week of what he’s capable of there.
“The likes of Larmour and potentially even Henshaw in times to come, there are options there when Rob retires and they probably are more attack-minded than defensive.”
On the emergence of ‘templates’ in Irish rugby, former Connacht out-half Dunne said: “It’s the same for 10, because not everyone is ROG and not everyone is Johnny Sexton and if that’s our template for 10s going forward, then where is the place for Joey Carbery in two years to be the starting 10?
“Or where is the place for Jack Carty who is a brilliant creative attacking force. We have to be careful about how we categorise our requirements. Not everyone needs to be a brilliant, tactical genius, maybe someone needs to be a brilliant attacking force in key positions.”
Murray Kinsella agreed.
“Even that a template is a thing in Irish rugby is not a good thing,” he added.
“We tend to now have ‘this is what we want, let’s see who fits it into that’ whereas rugby is about the 15 players on the pitch, it should be about adapting around that and I guess at the lower levels of the game, that’s the joy of it. You adapt to whatever you have.”
You can listen to the full episode below:
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
no Conway is the man. fast can tackle & safe hands under a high ball
@john fleming: shtop.
@john fleming: Ha ha ha
He’s too dangerous a finisher to take off the wing. I’d like to see Stockdale-Lowe-Larmour next season
@Rudiger McMonihan: Lowe is qualified?
@Rudiger McMonihan: that would be a ridiculous backline
@Rudiger McMonihan: oh Jesus Christ !!!!
@Bluepoolroad: after the world cup
I think it’s November 2020 before he qualifies
@Rudiger McMonihan: Keith Earls won’t be pushed out that easily.
@Rudiger McMonihan: Jesus did earl’s steal your wife or something
@Padraic Burke: Earls isn’t half the player that Lowe is.
Earl’s is much older and in a years time it is unlikely that he will still be the best winger. If he is then fair play to him. I hope I’m proven wrong!
@Baz Dunne: your right. He’s twice the player.
@Anthony:
For Leinster the qualification of Jamison Gibson-Park at the end of 2019 will mean J Lowe should become a regular because that 2 into 3 problem will be gone. But it will not be till next year that he could qualifie (if he wants to go for a place in the Ireland setup)
A fine player but Earls is the man !!
@Baz Dunne: And you’re clearly not half the expert you think you are.
@Bluepoolroad: yes Lowe can play I. Next 6nations I think … has to be in the mix as does Adam Byrne I think if he keeps progressing post the Kearney, Earls era
Is there anything to be said for Simon Zebo?
@southside: No
@southside: if he comes back then absolutely
@Rudiger McMonihan: Zebo shouldn’t have to come back to qualify. He is 1/2 French and has chosen to experience that culture. Should that restrict his eligibility?? NO
Bad example but Imagine telling Irish soccer players plying their trade in England you need to play in the league of Ireland.
Zebo record try scorer for Munster
Was on shortlist in his 1 season for Top 14 player of the year. Of course he should be considered.
@southside: yeah get lost Simon
@T Meister: yes it most certainly should restrict it. We need to protect our provincial game because at the moment it’s working. Look at how bad the French team are because they have no control over french club players
@T Meister: I can’t believe we’re STILL having the Zebo conversation.
@Anthony:
So should Sexton have been dropped too?
@The Great Unwashed:
Different times my friend and all gone over many many times .
@Anthony: FREEDOM of choice for ALL.
Best players who qualify for this country should be considered. Provinces should stand on their own merits encourage Irish players to stay but not the detriment of the National Side being able to choose The Best 15.
@Martin Quinn:
Not different times at all. The ‘rule’ applied to players before Sexton and after Sexton, so why didn’t it apply to Sexton himself?
You can’t have a policy and then choose to disregard it when it’s inconvenient – either it’s the policy or it isn’t.
@The Great Unwashed: maybe you should change your name to the great uneducated, this was enforced because of sexton.
@Chris Mc:
What does that even mean? The policy was there long before Sexton moved to Racing, so why wasn’t it applied to him as it was applied to other players who moved overseas?
@The Great Unwashed: I know the reason as you certainly do by the question you asked and for THIS reply to be published this is all I can say.
No.
His a winger.
Stick to players playing in there natural position. Instead of fannying about.
@Paddy Waggon: played u20 at full back and pretty impressive at that
@Kevin Donnelly: why was he moved to the wing so .
@Paddy Waggon: To get game time in a position which is not as challenging for a young inexperienced player. He will be Ulster’s 15 for years to come imo
Even though his defence has improved over the past 12 months, it remains the weakest part of his game. At 15 he could be exposed by all of the open ground as opposed to being able to use the touchline as an extra defender. It could improve for pro14 level but I don’t think he could manage international.
@Declan Snow: It’s his defensive positioning and reads that have let him down, rather than his tackle technique. At 15 he’ll only really be needed to shut someone down when they break the line and he has the speed to do it. Would really like to see him there.
The thoughts of a Stockdale, Lowe, Larmour back 3 going into the next world cup cycle is mouth watering!
I’d prefer to see Larmour getting some serious game time back there!
He needs to be given a few games on the run
@Aaron Tynan: In what aspect(s) of his game is Jordan better than Jacob?
@Bluepoolroad: actually grounding the ball for one
@John Keenan: savage
@John Keenan: that was harsh now in fairness.
@Stephen Foster: funny tho
@Bluepoolroad:
Knowing when to pass.
I think everyone is forgetting about Addison. I think he will have a say in that back 3 over the next 4 – 8 years.
Stockdale can’t / won’t pass.
You need a 15 that can pass.
@Bungee Aky: so Rob Lyttle got the ball by telepathy on Friday night?
@Ian Frizzell: you said it
@Bungee Aky: Rob “Straightens the line” Kearney never saw a ball he couldnt run into the first chaser with
@Bungee Aky: Kearney is knowing for his passing rather than his running into contact ;-)
@Bungee Aky: also a dodgy defender
@Kevin Donnelly: In what alternate universe is that true?
I never feel confident that he will catch a high contested ball in game.
The question is, who will be fb come world cup
Henshaw is our best natural fullback, I hope Joe sticks with him in the warm ups.
@Rochelle: showed against england he has almost no positional sense to defend the chip over the top. If he isnt playing 15 for leinster (he wont be) its a non runner for Ire
@Rochelle: He is in his hoop
@Kazoochka: bovine excrement! He covered as well as anyone would have with that defensive set up. Even with the tweaks that followed RK with all his experience was caught several times v Italy. Give players that much time to look up and pick and choose their kicks and with nobody else dropping into the backfield the best 15 in the world would have struggled. England just out gunned us tactically and broke our defence down, I wouldn’t go pointing the finger at any one player.
@Kazoochka: both Earls and Stockdale made horrible calls in the game and expecting an full back to read those is a bit much.
Larmour is prob next in line, he still has a lot of learning to do in my opinion. There are a lot of times in games where his decision making with ball in hand gets him (team) in trouble. No doubting his ability but sometimes he should just take the direct line of contact and get go forward rather than trying to jink statically around guys and then get pushed back a few meters
Well itd be interesting. Hes a tall lad so fielding wouldnt be an issue. In terms of speed hes very quick as well. But is he too tqll that hes an easier target?
Worth a try at least.
I’d much rather keep him on the wing. It’s a pity Haley has taken the fullback position at Munster as I believe Conway is our best all rounded fullback in the country. While larmour and Addison have still to add to their game, I believe Conway has all the right attributes to make a top quality fullback at international level.
@Anthony O Connell: Conway has never really claimed the Munster 15 shirt and always seems to be injured when the internationals come around. He’s no spring chicken either.
You shut up.
I’m Eoin McLove.
I can do what I lie!