Nothing like mates to keep you grounded… after Johnny Sexton grounds you.
Jacob Stockdale will face his toughest examination in an Ireland jersey, so far, when he faces off against Wales at the Aviva Stadium.
Six Tests into his international career and Stockdale has done superbly well. He scored a try on his debut, punished South Africa, scalded Argentina and opened up the Italians [six tries in six games]. His only blip was not stopping Teddy Thomas, in Paris, for his fine try but he was one of three Irish players that had to hold their hand up on that.
Stockdale is well aware, though, that he is not yet the finished article. If many people are getting carried away to his super start to international rugby, he is certainly not.
“To be honest,” he says, “I enjoy the [big crowds at Ireland games] – the atmosphere running out – and I try to do my best to soak it all in and really enjoy it rather than try to block it out and worry about it.
“Playing with guys like Johnny and Conor Murray, guys I have grown up watching, it’s made a lot easier because I have trained with them during the week and know them as people and friends and guys I can train with rather than these like superstars I am trying to keep up with.”
Sexton is a player who will certainly keep his teammates, young, old and every age in between, on their toes.
26 minutes into Ireland’s victory over Italy and Sexton gave the Ulster winger a reminder of what was what. Ireland were 21-0 ahead but the outhalf was livid that Stockdale was not alive to a quick-tap penalty and cross-field kick opportunity.
Stockdale was a few seconds [three, at most] slow in getting up into the line and reading what Sexton was planning. These seconds are crucial at Test level and Sexton let his teammate know all about it.
Picked up on the referee microphone of Romain Poite, Sexton barked:
“Jacob, get up on the f***ing line!”
.@Shane_Jennings7 is wary of Wales' players that are "ratty" like Johnny Sexton. #TV3Rugby pic.twitter.com/yr6FFcMMsM
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) February 23, 2018
We caught up with Stockdale at Carton House, soon after he was confirmed at No.11 in the Ireland team to play Wales.
Reminded of his tete-a-tete with Sexton, the 21-year-old laughed.
“Yeah, my mate sent me that link [to the Sexton story], so he did, and said ‘You better watch yourself!‘”
Referee microphone picks up Johnny Sexton scolding Jacob Stockdale https://t.co/WCvUshhveq
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 10, 2018
Stockdale continued:
“Yeah, like, Johnny holds himself to incredibly high standards when he is training, he expects that from everyone else, which is brilliant.
“But he’s a great guy off the pitch and after the game I didn’t feel like I was in trouble, so I didn’t. He’s a really good guy.”
Bygones were bygones but it was another reminder of what is expected of Stockdale in this driven Irish set-up… just in case he ever gets a spare second to forget.
Earlier this week, Stockdale signed a new, two-year deal with Ulster that will keep him at the province until June 2020 at least. He was offered a similar deal, last summer, but opted to pen a one-season extension as he backed himself to kick on, with Ulster and Ireland.
“I actually did one-year ones two years in a row,” he explained, “which is not usually encouraged but I just tried to back myself and let my rugby speak for it and not have to worry. Luckily enough it paid off.”
Stockdale says he had set himself a target, a couple of years back, of playing for Ireland when he was 23.
That achieved, and well ahead of time, he is now targeting a Six Nations title. It is not his birthday until April but he will take that accomplishment at 21 too, if he can.
