Ireland’s young guns run over their fears

Eight tries in your first seven internationals isn’t the sort of strike rate we’ve seen all that often. Not outside New Zealand, at any rate. Jacob Stockdale, though? He’s known hot streaks like this before.

“Ireland U18s, I think I was eight in five games, so I was. So, yeah, I’m dropping off now.”

This wasn’t a case of a young player crowing about his worth. If anything, the Ulster wing was being modest given he neglected to mention the fact that he claimed five tries in four games for the U20s two seasons ago as well.