Jacob Stockdale breaks ASTONISHING record during England vs Ireland Six Nations clash
JACOB STOCKDALE stunned the Twickenham crowd with his try on the stroke of half-time and also wrote his name into the history books.
The 21-year-old only made his senior debut against the United States last June, scoring in a 55-19 win.
And his successful start has continued as the prolific form saw him arrive at Twickenham for Ireland’s Grand Slam showdown with 10 international tries to his name in just eight appearances.
Stockdale scored twice against Italy on his second Six Nations appearance and the repeated the feat against Wales and Scotland.
And with the clock red in the first half against England, the winger chipped over Mike Brown, sprinted for the line and touched down just before the ball would bounce out of play.
The try took him to seven for the tournament, a record since the inclusion of Italy in 2000 and one short of the overall championship record, set in 1914 by England’s Cyril Lowe and equalled in 1925 by Scotland’s Ian Smith.
“It’s not a bad start to my international career. I think the ball just keeps popping up in the right areas. I’m getting the rewards for that,” said Stockdale ahead of the England game.
“To a certain extent, it’s weird to realise I’m at this level now and playing regularly in the Six Nations.
“If you told me that a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“On the other hand, I’ve worked really hard to get where I am, putting in good performances for Ulster and Ireland U20s, stuff like that, so I feel like I have built towards it.
“But I’m pretty pleased at how it has accelerated more than I expected.”
And the winger’s try appeared to have given Ireland a stranglehold on a Grand Slam with a 21-5 lead. They had not won a clean sweep since 2009, when Stockdale was just 12.
"We watched the Wales game with the family - I think my uncle and granddad were there that day as well. The house went crazy," Stockdale added.