ULSTER’S PREPARATIONS FOR the beginning of the 2018-19 season have been dealt a major blow.
The province confirmed this afternoon that 22-year-old wing Jacob Stockdale has suffered a grade-two hamstring strain in training, which is expected to keep him out of action for a period of between six and eight weeks.
Last season was a breakout campaign for Stockdale, particularly at international level. He scored seven tries — setting a new Six Nations record — as Ireland won the Grand Slam.
Ulster play the first of two pre-season friendlies this Saturday. They host Gloucester at Kingspan Stadium and travel to Wasps the following Friday ahead of their Guinness Pro14 opener at home to Scarlets on Saturday, 1 September.
Stockdale now faces a race against time to be available for Ulster’s first game in the Heineken Champions Cup, which is scheduled for the weekend of 12-14 October. They share a pool with Scarlets, Racing 92 and Leicester Tigers.
The young Ulster star’s injury setback may also be a concern for Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt, whose side begin their November series against Italy in Chicago on 3 November, before hosting Argentina, New Zealand and USA in Dublin.
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