really hard on that in the last couple
of seasons – and I’m not finished yet. My
high-ball work in the air is coming along,
too, and is something I want to turn into
a strength, to dominate in the air and go
after balls. If you can catch cross-kicks,
it can be a 30-40m gain for the team.”
Having had a few hamstring problems
during his career, the 23-year-old is also
working with Ireland’s strength and
conditioning coaches to change his
running style and put less strain on the
muscles. It’s a tough task when your
body is so used to moving a certain way.
“It’s easy when you’re thinking about it
and running in a straight line, but when
you have a rugby ball in your hands and
are trying to focus on beating a defender
it’s a bit trickier,” he says. “I’m seeing
improvements in how I run and if you
compare the last season to the three
seasons before it looks better. It’s trying
to get my running style more effective
and natural, and hopefully faster.”
Watch Stockdale break down the wing
for Ulster or Ireland and you wouldn’t
think there was much wrong with his
running ability, but small changes can
make a big difference. When he first
joined the Ulster Academy, he had a
few injuries and used the time on the
sidelines to get bigger and stronger.
Yet while he could lift huge amounts in
the gym, he’d lost his top-end speed
and couldn’t change direction easily.
Now he’s found his optimum “fighting
weight” to combine power and pace.
Had he not had a growth spurt at 16,
however, Stockdale would probably be
playing rugby as a hobby while working
in the criminology field. As it happened,
growing nine inches in a year enhanced
his rugby ability and the degree he
started fell by the wayside when
rugby commitments took over.
“At 16 I was 5ft 6in. Then when
I came back from the summer
holidays I was 6ft and then I kept
growing until I was 6ft 3in. I was
pretty useless at rugby before
but with the growth in height I got
bigger and stronger and faster, and
I found I was able to break tackles.
I felt a lot more confident too.
“I would always have played
rugby because I love the sport, but
I wouldn’t be half as good a player.”
As Stockdale works on incremental
advances in his own game, Ireland are
doing the same. Despite a lacklustre Six
Nations title defence, the winger insists
there is no need for a fundamental
overhaul of tactics in the national set-up
ahead of the World Cup. As is so often
the case with Joe Schmidt’s teams, it’s
all about the small details; get them right
and things will start to click again, says
Stockdale. After all, it’s less than a year
since they beat the All Blacks.
With intensive training camps, warm-up
Tests and the possibility of two months
in Japan should Ireland make history in
reaching the World Cup semi-finals for
the first time, it is an intense time for
rugby’s top players. Yet Stockdale has
always been one to find ways to switch
off, valuing the importance of balance.
When he first started out, he had his
criminology degree. He also plays the
guitar, although Tracy Chapman’s Fast
Car is the only song he’d be confidentenough to perform in public; instead he
tries to strum Eric Clapton tunes at home.
He’s also involved in the Peace IV
project at Lurgan RFC, whose U20 side
were Rugby World’s January Team of
the Month. He visits local schools to
encourage children to get involved in
the summer course and lends a hand
with coaching when he can. He sees
Peace IV as a way of helping Northern
Ireland move forward and says: “It’s a
cross-community project that brings the
two sides – nationalists and unionists –
together. We go into schools and try to
get them talking through rugby. A lot of
kids have never played rugby in their
lives, so they come along, learn and
play a tournament at the end of it.
“I’m a very strong believer in Northern
Ireland moving forward and the best
way to do that is through the younger
generations, the generations coming
after me. The two sides of the
community can be friends and talk andLeap of faith
Working on his
high-ball skills“I was pretty useless at
rugby before but with the
growth in height I found I
was stronger and faster”
FACT FILE
Age 23 (3 April 1996)
Place of birth
Newtownstewart
Province Ulster
Position Wing
Height 6ft 3in
Weight 16st 3lb
Ireland caps 19
Points 70 (14T)
Instagram handle
@stockdalejacobIreland