Who is Jacob Stockdale: Ten things you should know about the Ireland wing

Sarah Rendell

From his Test debut to his Six Nations record

Who is Jacob Stockdale: Ten things you should know about the Ireland wing

Jacob Stockdale, who is comfortable on the wing and at full-back, made his Test debut in 2017 against the USA and won the Six Nations Grand Slam title with Ireland the following year.

Ten things you should know about Jacob Stockdale

1. Jacob Stockdale was born on 3 April 1996 in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. He stands at 6ft 3in (1.91m) and weighs 16st 1lb (102kg).

2. He has only played for Ulster in his senior career and he made his debut for the province in 2014 aged 18.

3. In 2018, Stockdale set a new record for the amount of tries scored in the Six Nations. He scored seven in the tournament, which ended with Ireland winning a Grand Slam and Stockdale claiming the Player of the Championship award.

4. The same year, Stockdale scored the only try in Ireland’s 16-9 win over the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium. It was Ireland’s first-ever win over New Zealand on Irish soil.

5. He represented Ireland in the 2015 and 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship. Ireland reached the final in 2016 but lost 45-21 to England.

He was also part of the senior Ireland squad that competed at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

6. Stockdale taught himself how to play the guitar. He told Rugby World: “I can play the guitar, although not particularly well. I taught myself when I was 14 and play when I get the chance.”

Does Jacob Stockdale have a partner?

7. In 2020, Stockdale announced he had got engaged to his long-term partner Hannah Garrett. The pair met at high school in 2007 and remained friends before becoming a couple many years later.

He wrote on Instagram: “I’m so happy I met her and I couldn’t think of a better person to spend the rest of my life with.”

8. He has previously studied criminology but due to his rugby commitments he had to give it up.

He told RW: “I was doing a criminology degree – it’s something that really interests me – but I had to give it up. It’s very much an aspiration of mine to go back and finish it.”

MORE ON JACOB STOCKDALE

9. In 2020, he spoke publicly about how online trolls had affected his mental health.

He told Independent.ie: “The fact that people feel the need to tweet negative things about you, definitely impacts you as a player because you start wondering why this person has a serious dislike for you. If you let that get to you, it can really impact your mental health.”

10. He is a huge fan of Johnny Cash.

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