JACOB STOCKDALE EARNED his pound of flesh yesterday.
It might have been easy to send his agent to change his schedule, to duck out of an appearance as a Maxol brand ambassador and escape a grilling.
It’s been known to happen.
Any number of activities would have been preferable to spending half an hour of his day off listening to journalists critique his performance against France or ask him to drill down into his psyche for any sign of a root cause for what he admitted were shortfalls in his ‘basic’ skills.
Still, he arrived in on a Zoom call with impeccable punctuality and responded to questions and concerns over his errors and mental approach patiently, politely and in as much detail as he could.
The upshot of his answers were that sometimes mistakes just happen. We covered Stockdale’s explanation of his errors yesterday, he accepts the criticism and joked that while he attempts to block out the barbs from the wider public, his closest friends inadvertently allow it to slip through to him.
There was a time, admits the 24-year-old, when every snippet and mention of his name was something to be sought out and pored over. Undoubtedly, most of such reading came as a fillip when Stockdale was running rampant in 2018 and breaking records in try-scoring.
The habit lingered with him right up through last year’s World Cup. Ireland’s failings at that tournament proved the final straw and Stockdale decided to wall out the ‘noise’, changing his privacy settings on social media to ensure he wasn’t in a position to take in criticism from the wider public for either personal of team short-comings.
“It was Rory Best,” says Stockdale when asked if he had been guided to change tack. He didn’t take the advice immediately, but it rings true for him now.
“He probably caught me on my phone looking at Twitter or something like that and he was like: ‘Look mate, it’s all well and good now, but there’s going to be a time when you open that phone and there’s something nasty in there and it’s going to make you feel terrible’.
“I’d say it was probably something I was pretty bad for.
“You know when you’re younger, and I suppose when everything is going well, you’re breaking onto the scene and the majority of things being said about you are good.
“So you’re happy to be searching your name, I would have been searching it on Twitter, rugby forums, anything I could find that I could read about myself I would search it.
“It was actually really after the World Cup that I took a step back and said ‘look, this is genuinely affecting my mental health’.
I was basing my opinion of how I was playing on people I didn’t know, I didn’t even know if they knew the rules and they were telling me I was crap and I believed them.
“So it was pretty much after the World Cup I decided ‘I’m done with this’.”
In this sort of circumstance, short-term memory becomes a strength. Stockdale has shown that trait in his game during his career. Mulling the nature of his mental approach yesterday, he couldn’t help but cite his try against New Zealand in 2018, a chip and chase that came minutes after he flirted with disaster when Kieran Read charged down a similar attempt.
The capricious nature of a bouncing ball is something we all rue now and then. When they stopped popping up into Stockdale’s arms, he has moved to question himself and even examine the nature of confidence itself.
Having tightened the circle of people that he will allow himself be influenced by, the answers presented tell him to stay the course, keep working to iron out the errors and continue playing to his strengths.
“I suppose when you think about the term confidence, it’s essentially the belief (when you ask) am I still a good rugby player? And for me the answer is ‘yeah’.”
“I wouldn’t be getting picked for Ireland, I wouldn’t be getting picked for Ulster if I wasn’t a good rugby player. My ability level hasn’t changed.
“Yeah, I know I made a mistake at the weekend, but things like that happen. But it’s about being able to push yourself on and you’re still being able to improve as an individual even though the people around you are kind of saying ‘this lad is not great’.
“It was something I thought about over lockdown, I kind of took myself away and was like: ‘Right, look I want to get better at something, what am I going to do? I’m going to focus on my kicking’ and just get that repetition of like really being able to send the ball every time I tried it, and I feel like I have done that.
“So for me that solidifies the fact that you’re still good at rugby. Don’t panic. I’d say, to be honest, that it doesn’t really affect my confidence.
“If I’m able to rise above it because of my faith in my belief that I’m a good rugby player and that I know more than what other people say about me.”
Despite all this extra scrutiny, the slightly altered angles of approach that might have caused him to stutter in his decision-making and the presence of his long-term predecessor as a prominent TV pundit, Stockdale still very much wants the 15 jersey.
And he’s willing to put the work in to earn it again.
“There’s a number of nuances in the 15 role that I’m not used to yet and it’s going to take me a wee bit of a while to get used to… I’m having to learn, not on the fly, but the lessons that I learn are going to be learned in a much bigger sense because I’m playing in that international spotlight.”
It’s hot under the big lights, but Stockdale isn’t about to shy away from them.
COYBIB
Such a joy to watch ulster this week compared to Munster. So much variety in their play. Mathewson sniping, passing, kicking. Forwards carrying with impact but also offloading when appropriate. Much more effective. Hume and McCloskey look great in the centre.
Let’s go Leinster!! Big day out for Ringrose
@gabs90: ya, biggest day of his career
Leinster lineouts are keeping Ulster in the game
Looking forward to a good game and hopefully no injuries for both sides for next week. . Super selection from Leinster and what a bench. Leinster by 10+ for me.
Leinster will win
I see Van Der Flier is Liam Tolands man crush this week
He’s a gas man. Giving Stockdale grief for crawling with the ball. But sure it was perfectly fine when a Leinster player did it to score against Munster.
Half time and the leinster lineout is easily the worst in professional rugby.
@Chris Mc: I think we need to end the hype that’s been surrounding Kelleher right now. Cronin is a better lineout thrower and that’s saying something!
@David Finn: his throwing is pants but he’s a massive present arround the pitch
@Chris Mc: yeah good around the pitch but on that performance about Irish no 4. He needs time.
@Trevor Johnston: the leinster lineout has been too complicated for a good few seasons now. Far too many moving parts. Most of the balls lost yesterday came without any real presure from Ulster, lifters missed the jumper, some times the jumper didn’t even jump. A lineout should be very simple, your jumper gets into the air before theirs or get higher than theirs. Your hooker throws the ball to the big guy been lifted by 2 other big guys. All the dummies, moving arround and decoys just allows the line to close and the lifters to be obstructed or miss their position or timing.
Game on great try
It’s good to see Ulster taking a leaf out of the Leinster playbook. Holding opposition players in nearly every ruck and starting to milk some penalties.
Another trophy the invincibles
Leinster Congratulations
People effuse about this morphing Leinster game plan, kicking on their terms and their love for defending but Ulster have been playing the better rugby for the majority of the game. I know Leinster are still winning but as a Leinster fan I expected a good bit more from Leinster tonight in preparation for Saracens. Doris has been quiet, Conan was petulant in the first half and it is not a day for Kelleher at line-out time. There have been moments when Leinster have shown good running rugby but the last phase fizzles out with an attacking penalty or picking the wrong option. We’ll need a better performance against Saracens, even without Farrell and Mako.
@Dan Finlay: and moments after posting Doris goes and scores.
@Dan Finlay: Conan coughed up three penalties. Can not afford that against saracens.
Atrocious lineout from Leinster.
Great response.
Brilliant try.
Great try! Very well worked. Come on ulster!
Would be grand if Brace actually reffed Leinster. Let’s them away with murder at the breakdown
@Andrew Taz Donohoe: fussy but fair
Here he comes. The Boss.
Great try …..game over ..joking
Anyone know if tg4 are showing this live or is it just discussions about the game starting at that time and the kick off being shown later on?
@Rudiger McMonihan: I’m pretty sure it’s live
Ulster happy to be in final, same as Heineken cup a few years back they failed to throw a punch… embarrassing
@Nathan Fulham: you can only play as well as you are allowed. Leinster in total control.
SUFTUM
Terrible commentators