Jacob Stockdale looking forward as he slots back into Ireland's back three

'I was 103/104kg at the start of my injury. Even if I was 98, 99 kilos, I’d still be heavier and bigger than the majority of back-three players in world rugby'

BIT BETWEEN HIS TEETH: I’m really confident, all I can base it on is this week’s training. It’s been really good. I’ve got a lot of touches on the ball, which is exactly what you want as a winger, says Jacob Stockdale, seen here in the Nations Cup clash with Scotland. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile:

THERE are no luxury players anymore, regardless of the sport. Creative talents don’t get a a free pass when it comes to the more mundane, defensive arts anymore but there are times when the balance between this yin and yang is lost and the natural order of things is polluted by too many coaching badges and practise cones.

Opposites may attract but a man of Jose Mourinho’s tactical conservatism taking over the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, clubs with fine notions about their attacking traditions, has always attracted the whiff of discord.