Andrew Trimble, a former Ireland wing, claims that Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale should be included in Ireland’s World Cup squad this fall “if he gets back to his best.”
In recent years, he has only made a few appearances for Ulster and Ireland due to injuries.
The 70-time capped Ireland international told NI’s Ulster Rugby Show, “He’s up there with James Lowe for me in terms of Ireland wings.”
“He played the best rugby you’ll at any point see a winger play ever and he won’t ever get back there however assuming he gets remotely close to that it’s sufficient.”
Stockdale has made 35 appearances for Ireland and scored 19 tries, but he hasn’t played for his country because of injury since his last appearance, when he scored a try against Japan in July 2021.
After suffering an ankle injury on the first day of the 2021-2022 season, the 26-year-old was out for nearly a year.
He started this season with games against Connacht and Scarlets, but on September 30 against Leinster, he had another ankle problem. On November 4, though, he played for Ireland A in their 47-19 loss to an All Blacks XV.
” However, “he hasn’t been able to get that momentum” since the injury, and Trimble was referring to the player’s performance.
In the final Ulster Rugby Show of 2022, Trimble and regular host Tommy Bowe agreed that Hugo Keenan, Lowe, Mack Hansen, and probably Jimmy O’Brien appeared “nailed on” to be in Andy Farrell’s World Cup squad.
Jordan Larmour, Keith Earls, Andrew Conway, Robert Baloucoune, Michael Lowry, and Stockdale are all in contention for a spot among “the back five” to travel to France in the fall.
Despite Ireland’s recent impressive run of results and their status as world number one, Bowe believes that they are “not in the perfect position” heading into the World Cup season.
The former Ulster winger stated, “I think squad depth isn’t maybe in as good a place as we would like it to be.”
Trimble, on the other hand, believes that defeating a South African team known for its physicality was one of the matches’ positive aspects.
Both Andrew Porter, a loose-head prop for Leinster, and Johnny Sexton, two former Ireland wings, acknowledge that it would be challenging for Ireland to cope with the loss of either Tadhg Furlong or Tadhg Furlong due to injury.
” You have James Ryan and Iain Henderson likely in the next column, Tadgh Beirne at number six, Josh van der Flier at number seven, and Caelan Doris at number eight,” the statement reads.
Keenan, Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose, Lowe, Sexton, and Jamison Gibson-Park, among others, are said to be Ireland’s best back division starters.
Trimble and Bowe believe that the traveling World Cup squad could include Stewart, James Hume, Lowry, Nathan Doak, Stockdale, Baloucoune, Stewart, and Tom O’Toole. McCloskey, Herring, and Henderson, on the other hand, appear to be Ulster players who are most likely to be included.