'One-club guy' Stockdale rejected French interest
A desire to follow in the footsteps of former Ulster team-mates like Rory Best and Andrew Trimble saw Jacob Stockdale decide against a switch to Top 14.
The 28-year-old was the subject of interest from Racing 92 and Lyon but signed an extension with his home province that will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until 2027.
Stockdale admitted that he considered the possibility of a move to France but ultimately wants to be remembered as a "one-club guy".
"I'll be honest, it was definitely something I thought about," he said.
"Rugby is a short career and to a certain degree you have to be selfish at times. Racing and Lyon both expressed interest, and for me it was exploring those options to see what they would look like, but ultimately, I have a very young family, it was better to stay at Ulster.
"It was very much the idea of being a one-club guy, you look at Trimby (Andrew Trimble) or Rory Best, they have got hundreds of caps for the club and have made a huge impact, which is something you strive to do."
Stockdale joked he will stay with Ulster until they kick him "out the door" and said he has no second thoughts over his decision.
"In hindsight, it absolutely feels like the right decision," he added.
"I love it here. I love playing here, it was just the thought of going somewhere new and experiencing something different, but there's very much no place like home."
Had he chosen to move abroad, he would have been unavailable for international selection with Ireland's policy to only pick home-based players.
Only five men have ever scored more Test tries for Ireland than Stockdale, who won the most recent of his 38 caps against Fiji in November.
He injured his hamstring in that fixture, but made his return after 11 weeks on the sidelines in Ulster's 38-31 friendly loss to Queensland Reds last Friday, and has not given up hope of featuring in the remainder of the Six Nations should he prove his fitness with Ulster.
"It is good to see them winning and hopefully if I can get back fit and firing, I can get down there. We'll see," he said.
"For me, it's making sure when I step on the pitch, I feel I am ready to go and I'm not undecided on my fitness.
"The hamstring was a freak tear, I was in an awkward position and it went, sometimes you get those.
"If you think about it too much or let it affect your mindset, you start to slip down the path of minding yourself when you're playing and that will be dangerous."
'It is a baptism of fire'
Stockdale's return to fitness comes at a time when fellow Irish internationals Stuart McCloskey and James Hume are also back after lengthy spells out.
McCloskey has been out with a hamstring injury suffered against Munster on 20 December, while his fellow centre Hume has yet to play competitively this season having sustained a serious knee injury against Cardiff last April.
"I feel the Queensland Reds game was good for a few of us who have been out to come back from long-term injuries," Stockdale said.
"It was nice for me to get back on the pitch, but it was good to see Hume and Stu (McCloskey) back again.
"There were a few busted lungs out there the first few minutes, but it was good."
The experienced trio are back to boost Ulster for their United Rugby Championship (URC) trip to Benetton on Saturday evening.
Richie Murphy's side have fallen to ninth in the standings and are returning to league action for the first time since their home defeat to Zebre on 26 January.
While Ulster have won just five of 14 games in all competitions this season, Stockdale believes there have been valuable lessons for the less experienced members of the squad.
"I think it is a learning year for younger guys, but also it is an opportunity to perform. Every time you step on the pitch it is an opportunity to perform.
"For those younger guys that are playing every week it is a baptism of fire, but something you have to get up to speed with.
"I think there is an opportunity for us to do the basic things better and hopefully over the next couple of weeks we will start to see that happen.
"The young lads who have come in have been really good, they're raw, they've a long way to go, but they've been pretty effective in their performances."
