Jacob Stockdale

Jacob Stockdale is a current rugby union player for both Ulster and the Ireland national side. Comfortable playing on the wing, at centre or a fullback, he is known for his tenacious attacking abilities.

Jacob Stockdale was born in Lisburn, Antrim in Northern Ireland in April 1996, but grew up in Lurgan and is the son of a Presbyterian minister. So far, he has spent his entire senior career playing with Irish provincial side Ulster, making his debut in 2015 aged 19. He has yet to win any trophies with Ulster, but did help them to a runner-up position in the 2019-20 season of the old PRO14 (now the United Rugby Championship).

On the global stage, Jacob Stockdale has already made a name for himself as one of Ireland's most exciting players. He represented the national team at U20 level in 2015 but was named in the senior squad only a few years later for the 2017 summer internationals. He then made his debut against the United States and scored his first try in Ireland's 55-19 win.

Jacob Stockdale's first home game for Ireland was in November 2017, where he got his first try on Irish soil against South Africa, his first 'Man of the Match' award came just two weeks later after scoring a further two tries in a win against Argentina. His biggest achievement at international level came in 2018 where he scored a record seven tries in the Six Nations tournament of that year. Stockdale was also named the 'Player of the Championship' and helped Ireland to a Grand Slam victory. These accolades would also see him named the 'BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year 2018'.

Jacob Stockdale continues to play for Ireland but has only featured sporadically in recent times due to injury. He also missed out on the 2021 British & Irish Lions./strong> tour, an omission he would later go on to refer to as 'devastating'.

Outside of rugby Jacob Stockdale is in the process of completing a degree in Criminology, he is a self-taught guitarist and is a big fan of the musician Johnny Cash.