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Freddie Burns' message for Stockdale after quarter-final blunder
By Josh Raisey
Bath fly-half Freddie Burns has shown his support for Jacob Stockdale on Twitter, after the Ulster winger’s error against Leinster in the Champions Cup quarter final.
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The 22-year-old tore through Leinster’s defence at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, only to knock the ball on when placing it down for a try. The Ireland international was well over the line, but was tackled by Dave Kearney as he tried to touch the ball down with one hand. Many have questioned why he did not dive.
With the score at 13-11 to Ulster at the time, a converted try would have put the underdogs two scores ahead and in a very commanding position in what was a tight affair.
However, Burns told the “world class” Stockdale that all he can do is “bounce back”.
People will tell you what you thought, what you felt and paint you in an untrue light. All you can do is bounce back, prove them wrong and do it with a smile on your face. I’ve been there and I have no doubt that @JacobStockdale will do just that. World class player!
— Freddie Burns (@FreddieBurns) March 31, 2019
Burns himself will know exactly how Stockdale feels, as he too made a calamitous mistake this season in the Champions Cup, as he had the ball slapped out of his hand by Maxime Medard while scoring a try. Burns’ mistake would have put Bath in the lead with only minutes remaining, and could have completely changed the complexion of their campaign this season.
The Bath man has put that mishap behind him, and has urged Stockdale to do the same. The young winger will undoubtedly do so, as he is already one of the most revered finishers in the world. While he will be remembered in the game for the mistake, a huge amount of credit must be given to him for the run he made to make scoring a possibility; a run that very few could make.
However, this of course will be a tough one for Stockdale to accept as Ulster came agonisingly close to proving many doubters wrong at toppling the reigning champions Leinster.
You may also like: Stephen Ferris sits down with RugbyPass to discuss Ireland’s form of late leading into a World Cup.
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