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'I don't want that to ever happen again' - Lessons learned from England defeat for Stockdale

By Online Editors
Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale. Photo / Getty Images.

Jacob Stockdale has insisted Ireland have never considered themselves the world’s best Test team.

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The Ulster wing has admitted he never wants to be on the receiving end of another hiding like England dished out to Joe Schmidt’s men in Dublin last weekend.

Stockdale had enjoyed a near-fairytale Test career until Saturday’s 32-20 Guinness Six Nations loss to England, where the stunning form that carried Ireland to last year’s Grand Slam and a victory over New Zealand came to an abrupt halt.

Now the 22-year-old wing has been at pains to point out the All Blacks installed Ireland as the world’s best team following the 16-9 November victory – and not anyone in head coach Schmidt’s camp.

Asked if there would be merit in reiterating that Ireland never branded themselves the world’s best, Stockdale replied: “Yes exactly; look we know we’re a good side and we want to make sure we don’t let ourselves down on the pitch.

“But we know we’re not the finished product, and I don’t think anybody here has ever claimed us to be.

“So we’re still trying to work and still trying to improve.

“You learn probably more from losing than you do winning.

“For me personally that’s a massive point – I don’t want that to ever happen again.

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“So I’m going to work twice as hard to make sure it doesn’t.

“So there’s a lot to learn from last week and a lot to be excited about going forward.”

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen hailed Ireland as the world’s best team after Schmidt’s men toppled the back-to-back world champion All Blacks in Dublin in the autumn.

Schmidt quickly batted aside that assertion, with his side still sat second in World Rugby’s official rankings – well aware Hansen was simply trying to shift some pressure in Ireland’s direction.

Stockdale assumed responsibility for Elliot Daly’s try in the England loss, where he fumbled a kick in behind to allow the Wasps flier to dot down.

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The Lisburn native admitted to being stung by the defeat, but pledged that Ireland will refocus quickly – starting with Saturday’s trip to Murrayfield to face Scotland.

Stockdale has made a habit of picking off wide passes for interception tries, but admitted he can ill afford to take any risks given Scotland fly-half Finn Russell’s playmaking talents.

“It’s a tough one to analyse yourself when you’ve lost and you feel like nothing you did was good enough,” said Stockdale.

“Daly’s try where I tried to collect it and it bounced out of my hands, I was really disappointed with that.

“I felt like I could have collected it and obviously stopped that try.

“Outside of that I wouldn’t say I was happy with my performance but I thought there was a lot of good with what I did.

“I think once you start going looking for intercepts it can be a pretty dangerous game, because Finn Russell is a very smart player, he’s very intuitive.

“He’s definitely the kind of player that if he sees you going for it, he’ll let you think you’re going to have it, and then he’ll put the ball past you, or in behind you.

“You just can’t go chasing intercepts, and you just have to, hopefully, grab the one that becomes available throughout the game.

“For me it’s just about making sure that I defend well, connect with the backline and the forwards around me.

“And then if the opportunity arises then I definitely plan on taking it.”

WATCH: Ireland press conference ahead of their trip to BT Murrayfield to take on Scotland

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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