Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MY YEARN TO LEARN
Stockdale keen to iron out his failings
IT says much of Jacob Stockdale’s desire to succeed that the Ireland winger is learning more from the lows than the highs of his young career.
There has been much to celebrate in recent days for the 21-year-old who is now rightly regarded as one of Irish rugby’s most promising talents.
A midweek call-up to Joe Schmidt’s Six Nations panel followed quick on the heels of last Saturday’s pickpocket try against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.
And yet it is his recent performance in a humbling 38-7 defeat to Leinster that is lingering longest in the mind.
He may have scored Ulster’s only try but Fergus Mcfadden waltzing past him – leaving him on his back on the RDS turf – for a try is etched in the memory.
It’s all a learning curve for Stockdale who said: “I was really, really disappointed I didn’t do better there and also for the try where Andrew Porter steamrolled me as well.
“They were two instances where I was really disappointed. It made me realise I’m definitely not the finished product and I’ve got a lot of work to do.
“I’m only 21 and it brought my feet back on the ground. The Leinster game was probably one of my poorest so far, particularly defensively. It was really tough. I wanted a big performance against La Rochelle to prove wrong some of the criticisms I’d been receiving.”
Before he turns his attention to the Six Nations, which kicks off next month against France in Paris, Stockdale has the little matter of Europe to deal with.
A win at Wasps would seal a first quarter-final in four years for Ulster who eased top of the pool thanks to their impressive 20-13 win over La Rochelle.
“It’s definitely a massive game,” said Stockdale. “It could be the difference between a home quarter-final and not getting the game we want.
“Going into every big game, you feel a lot of pressure but this game more than most as it’s essentially a cup final. If we don’t win it makes things a lot tougher.
“There’s added pressure but it’s a pressure that we as a team can handle. It’s massive for me and I really want to put in a big performance.”
Looking back at the La Rochelle win, Stockdale admits he received a rap on the knuckles after being caught patting Paul Jordaan on the head, a dismissive gesture that sparked a touchline kerfuffle. “My mum gave off to me about it,” he said. “It was heat of the moment and I was trying to calm things down I guess but it was probably the wrong way to go about it.”