Jacob Stockdale follows James Ryan in signing IRFU deal

The IRFU have announced that outstanding Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale has signed a three-year central contract up to the end of the 2022/23 season.

Stockdale made his Ireland debut against the USA on the 2017 June tour where he opened his account for the national team by scoring a try in the opening quarter of the game.

The back three player scored 10 tries for Ireland across the 2017/18 season, including seven during the 2018 Grand Slam campaign which resulted in him being named Player of the Championship. To date he has scored 16 tries in his 26 Test match appearances for the national side.

A member of the Ireland U20s squad that reached the final of the 2016 U20 World Rugby Championships, Stockdale scored four tries across that campaign.

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David Nucifora, IRFU performance director, said: “Jacob has continued to grow as a player after bursting onto the scheme in his debut Six nations season.

“He has performed at a consistently high level for both Ireland and Ulster and has huge potential to develop further on the international stage.”

Stockdale added: “I am delighted to have signed an IRFU contract. I am involved with two ambitious squads and I know I will continue to develop as a player in both environments.

“Things have been going really well at Ulster and there are exciting things happening in the Ireland set-up and the IRFU High Performance Centre is world class. I look forward to performing on the field for both Ulster and Ireland.”