Ireland international Jacob Stockdale signs new deal with Ulster

Irish international winger Jacob Stockdale has signed a contract extension with Ulster which keeps him with the province until the summer of 2020.

The 21-year-old has established himself as one of the brightest young stars in Irish rugby since making his Ulster debut in January 2016, with 17 tries in 37 appearances for his province.

Stockdale has broken into the Ireland starting line-up this season, with six tries in six Test appearances for Joe Schmidt's side.

With standout full-back Charles Piutau leaving for Bristol at the end of the season, Ulster's operations director Bryn Cunningham was delighted to tie Stockdale down to Ulster for the next two and a half years.

"Jacob's rise has been incredible. He was earmarked as a future international from a young age," Cunningham said.

"At 6 foot, 3 inches and 16 stone, he has a real physical presence on the wing, but he also has pace to burn and great skills, including a strong kicking game.

"In addition to this superb natural ability, he works extremely hard to improve all aspects of his game, and with his future now secure, he can focus on continuing his development."

Commenting on his new contract, Stockdale said: "As a young lad from Ulster, I've grown up watching the club and to get to pull on the white jersey is an honour for me.

"Hopefully I can continue to improve at Ulster and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team over the next few seasons."