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Published 17:17 10 Aug 2018 BST
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Jack O'Toole took a dart at predicting Ulster's strongest XV when - in Utopian terms - everyone was fit and on form. That team includes try-scoring sensation Jacob Stockdale but he now looks set to miss the opening six weeks, at least, of the new season.
Stockdale finished last season tied for the all-time record of tries scored (20) for club and country and won Six Nations Player of the Tournament for his part in Ireland's Grand Slam glory. He was pushed to the brink by Australia during the summer tour but emerged with reputation intact and a winner again.
With the World Cup taking place in September and October of 2019, many of Ireland's top stars will be carefully managed over the coming season so Stockdale may not feature as much for Ulster and he, his coaches and fans, may like.
The 22-year-old may have been spared the opening games of the Guinness PRO14 season, and the South Africa leg to play Cheetahs and Southern Kings. September 29 would have been the perfect match to start 2018/19 after a delayed pre-season but that has been thrown into flux by a bad hamstring injury.
SportsJOE understands that Stockdale will miss up to two months of action after suffering a Grade Two tear early in his return to training with Ulster.
On Stockdale, a spokesperson for Ulster Rugby told us, "We're not in a position to update at this stage."
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