Ireland winger hailed for ‘playing out of his skin’ in impressive URC victory
Jacob Stockdale in action for Ulster.
Ireland flyer Jacob Stockdale was in fine form for Ulster as he scored a brace of tries during their 36-12 victory over the Ospreys at the Kingspan Stadium on Friday.
The 28-year-old, who was the 2018 Six Nations player of the Championship, has been struggling with injuries and his form in recent seasons but based on his performance against the Ospreys, he is close to his best again.
In fine form for Ulster
Stockdale‘s performance against the Welsh region was not a once-off effort as he has also delivered excellent performances in Ulster‘s previous URC matches this season and will be hoping to continue with his good form during Ireland’s end-of-year internationals.
Against the Ospreys he scored his first try in the ninth minute before showing his class with an outstanding finish in the 65th minute as Ulster clinched their third victory of the URC season.
Stockdale’s brilliance was not lost on Ulster assistant coach Jimmy Duffy, who praised the winger after the match.
“He’s in top form, he’s in a great space,” he told the Belfast Telegraph. “His finishing in the corner was superb.
Jacob Stockdale stocks continue to rise as Ireland flyer stars in Ulster’s commanding victory
“Jacob on the wing is playing out of his skin.”
Second successive bonus-point win for Ulster
Duffy highlighted the significance of Ulster’s victory over the Ospreys as they have now notched two successive two bonus point victories in the URC after a similar result against Connacht in Round Four.
“(It’s) Massive for us,” said Duffy of their win over the Ospreys.
“We spoke about it all week. The interpros tend to generate their own momentum with the players, there’s a lot of national stuff on the line but we wanted to be really professional this week.
“In a large part, the guys are really happy where we are. There were some big performances.”
