Stockdale has turned 'frailties' into strengths

Jacob Stockdale made his Ireland debut in 2017

In-form Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale feels he "had a lot of frailties" in his game during the breakout seasons of his career.

The 29-year-old starred for Ireland during 2018, a year in which the side won a Six Nations Grand Slam and beat the All Blacks in Dublin.

His seven tries during the former remained a championship record until it was bettered this year by French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

Stockdale, though, fell out of favour with the national side and has not been a regular starter for Andy Farrell since 2020 but feels his recent string of impressive performances are the product of "having worked really hard" during recent years.

"I think I was in a good vein of form in a very good team in 2018," said Stockdale after being named player of the match in Ulster's defeat by the Sharks on Saturday.

"I was 21 back then. I was trying to figure everything out and I was thrust into this position where I was first-choice for Ireland and scored a couple of good tries but I definitely wasn't a well-rounded player.

"I had a lot of frailties in my game, frailties that I've worked really hard on over the last few years and a lot of them have become strengths of mine. I think you can see the error-rate in my game has dropped massively as well."

After missing all but one game of the 2021-22 season through injury, the 38-times capped wing has slowly worked his way back to his best and this season has scored five times in 12 games for Ulster.

His eye-catching provincial form earned him a Test start in a rotated side against Fiji in November, but any hopes of putting his hand up for selection against Australia a week later were scuppered by a hamstring injury.

"I think it's easy to feel sorry for yourself in those situations and think it's always bad timing for me," he said.

"It was bad timing, I felt like I was really going well and I didn't get back quite as quickly as I would have hoped either, but you can't manage or control those things.

"All you can manage and control is how you play when you have the opportunity to step onto the pitch."

'I wasn't too happy hearing that'

Jacob Stockdale says he was "challenged" by Ulster head coach Richie Murphy

Stockdale made his return from injury against Benetton in February after almost three months on the sidelines.

Although he scored a try in the fixture, neither the player nor his coach Richie Murphy was particularly happy with his form across his first games back in the side.

"Richie challenged me and said he didn't feel like I'd been the same player as I was before I got injured for those [first] couple of games," Stockdale said.

"I wasn't too happy hearing that but I think he was right.

"In the Stormers game [at the end of March] I felt like I set down a marker and took a step forward with my performances. I haven't really looked back over the last couple of weeks."

While Ulster are on a three-game losing run, against Bordeaux-Begles, Leinster and Sharks, Stockdale has impressed against opposition boasting plenty of international stars.

Although helping Ulster in their efforts to make the URC play-offs is his most immediate goal, he hopes that an Ireland recall could soon be on the cards too.

With the possibility that plenty of the usual Test starters will be on tour with the British and Irish Lions this summer, Ireland's July fixtures against Georgia and Portugal should offer an opportunity to those who have been on the fringes.

"You always want to be able to get into the green jersey, no matter what scenario it's in," Stockdale said.

"For me, I'm excited about the prospect of being involved in that tour potentially but there's a lot of lads playing brilliantly who won't be on the Lions tour, last week [Leinster's] Tommy O'Brien was brilliant against us and he's had a great few games.

"I don't think it's a matter of me wandering in and having a few games. It's going to be hard-fought in those positions."