Jacob Stockdale was named NatWest Player of the Championship but the Ireland winger has revealed that his vote went to teammate Keith Earls.
The Irish wing duo played a key role in Ireland’s third-ever Grand Slam, with Stockdale establishing a new NatWest 6 Nations try-scoring record with seven over the course of the Championship.
Earls was similarly influential, both in defence and attack, with his standout moment arguably coming in the win over Italy when he chased down Mattia Bellini for a try-saving tackle in the final minute.
And Stockdale paid tribute to his 30-year-old teammate by voting for him from the six-man shortlist for the award. Stockdale said: “I voted for Keith Earls.
“I think the big standout moments for me were the end of the Wales game, to be able to score an intercept and finish off the game was a really great feeling.
“Then just being able to go over to Twickenham and get a win there, where not many teams have been able to do that. So they were the two standout moments.”
Earls came fourth in the vote, behind two further Irishmen, Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton, with Matteo Minozzi and Guilhem Guirado rounding out the vote.
