Dan McFarland ‘hopeful’ on Jacob Stockdale’s fitness

David Skippers
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Ulster head coach Dan McFarland is hopeful that Jacob Stockdale will be fit to play a part in their upcoming PRO14 semi-final with Edinburgh.

This, after the Ireland flyer limped off during Ulster’s 28-10 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

“He (Stockdale) took a couple of bangs on his lower leg, around his shin,” McFarland said after the match. “So my understanding is it’s not a strain or anything.

“It’s just a few bangs in the same place one after another. I’d be hopeful that he’s alright.”

A poor first-half performance cost Ulster dearly against the champions but McFarland was encouraged by his side’s second-half showing and is optimistic about their chances against Edinburgh in the play-offs next weekend.

“We notched it up and looked much more like ourselves,” he said when asked about his team’s mentality and intensity.

“In the context of losing, I was happy with that (attitude). It’s a fundamental part of the game and fundamental part of our game. Without it you can’t do anything.

“This week we had another issue in that we couldn’t get out of our own way in terms of errors and silly penalties.

“Couldn’t get any rhythm in the game. When we did we looked good, but you can’t sustain pressure against a team like Leinster if you keep making mistakes like that.

“We’re not where we need to be at at the moment, but we’ve got a semi-final to play. We’re one of four teams who does and we’re happy we’ve another game to play.”

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