His side were leading 13-11 when Stockdale barged over the whitewash to score what seemed initially to be a pivotal try which could help Ulster into the final four.
But a moment of madness proved costly, with Leo Cullen’s men edging in front to go on and secure a momentous 21-18 victory to keep their Heineken Cup title defence alive.
Stockdale opted against diving over, with the ball slipping from his grasp momentarily for his try to be cancelled out following a TMO.
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“It is going to be the story tomorrow,” Brian O’Driscoll said speaking about Stockdale’s error at the Aviva Stadium.
“[It was] brilliantly manufactured by Ulster and again he had a fair bit of work to do, but this unfortunately for Jacob Stockdale is unforgivable.
“When you find yourself over the whitewash, yes there is a player dragging out of him looking to get a challenge in, but you’ve got to dive.”
The former Ireland captain said the mistake played a pivotal role in the game swinging in Leinster’s favour, with Adam Byrne delivering a crucial try three minutes afterwards to help the defending champions ahead.
“You’ve got to guarantee the ball goes down,” O’Driscoll added.
“There is a risk of knocking the ball on or losing it in contact, that does not happen or tends not to happen far less frequently when you dive. It’s the whole momentum swing of the game.
“They’re 11-13, they score that, it’s guaranteeing a 7-point game that gives you security, the momentum is with you and they still have the conversion to knock over for a two-score game.
“That is everything in tight affairs like this.”
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'You've got to guarantee the ball goes down': O'Driscoll says Stockdale error was unforgivable
IT WAS A moment of brilliant skill followed by a nightmare finish for Jacob Stockdale, as the 22-year-old danced past a host of challenges during Ulster’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster, before fluffing his try.
His side were leading 13-11 when Stockdale barged over the whitewash to score what seemed initially to be a pivotal try which could help Ulster into the final four.
But a moment of madness proved costly, with Leo Cullen’s men edging in front to go on and secure a momentous 21-18 victory to keep their Heineken Cup title defence alive.
Stockdale opted against diving over, with the ball slipping from his grasp momentarily for his try to be cancelled out following a TMO.
“It is going to be the story tomorrow,” Brian O’Driscoll said speaking about Stockdale’s error at the Aviva Stadium.
“[It was] brilliantly manufactured by Ulster and again he had a fair bit of work to do, but this unfortunately for Jacob Stockdale is unforgivable.
“When you find yourself over the whitewash, yes there is a player dragging out of him looking to get a challenge in, but you’ve got to dive.”
The former Ireland captain said the mistake played a pivotal role in the game swinging in Leinster’s favour, with Adam Byrne delivering a crucial try three minutes afterwards to help the defending champions ahead.
“You’ve got to guarantee the ball goes down,” O’Driscoll added.
“There is a risk of knocking the ball on or losing it in contact, that does not happen or tends not to happen far less frequently when you dive. It’s the whole momentum swing of the game.
“They’re 11-13, they score that, it’s guaranteeing a 7-point game that gives you security, the momentum is with you and they still have the conversion to knock over for a two-score game.
“That is everything in tight affairs like this.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Aviva Stadium Brian O'Driscoll Champions Cup dropped ball Heineken Champions Cup Jacob Stockdale Leinster missed opportunity Ulster