Family tell of pride after Stockdale conquered All Blacks
JACOB Stockdale’s family have spoken of their pride after the Ulster and Ireland rugby star’s impressive try helped defeat the mighty All Blacks on Saturday.
The Lurgan player sealed Ireland’s first win against the world champions on home soil by scoring the only try for his side.
Stockdale’s father and grandfather were in the crowd at the Aviva Stadium as the winger scored his 12th Ireland try in 14 internationals.
His second-half try proved to be decisive, and his proud father, Rev Graham Stockdale, described the “outbreak of emotion” which accompanied it.
“I thought we would never top the Grand Slam match against England, because that was a very special moment, but Saturday went a notch higher,” he told the BBC.
“I took my dad down to the match and the two of us were sitting in the VIP seats with all the players’ families around us, so there was just incredible high fives, hugging, cheering — just such an outbreak of emotion.
“We never anticipated that Jacob would be able to do what he does in such a short period of time.
“I suppose the key thing is being part of a pretty special team — I think the best Ireland has ever had.”
And his little sister Lydia, who didn’t attend the match as she was on her school’s Scripture Union weekend, told UTV that the “whole family is so proud of Jacob’s achievement”.
“I sneaked out with my best friend to watch it and it was just brilliant,” the Wallace High School pupil said.
“It seemed like the try went in slow motion but it was amazing and seeing the celebrations at the end it was just great.” Jacob is a former pupil of Wallace High School, and principal Deborah O’Hare said the entire school community was very proud of his endeavours. “To have a Wallace pupil play against the All Blacks was exciting just to begin with,” she told UTV.
“Then to find him kicking the way he did, running the ball down and then scoring a try, everyone’s just a little bit taller and their smile is a little bit broader.”
Wallace High School’s director of rugby, Derek Suffren, said that Stockdale “didn’t excel when he was younger, but he still worked hard”.
“It wasn’t until Lower Sixth that he made the 1st XV,” he said.
“He had a growth spurt that summer and when he came back he was the man mountain that he is now.
“He just grew in confidence and now he’s really expressing himself on the rugby pitch.”