Partnered by Maxol, for whom Ireland wing Stockdale is a brand ambassador, Aware is calling on the public to phone a friend, neighbour or colleague who might need cheering up while also texting PHONEAFRIEND to 50300 to donate €4 to the cause.

“A lot of people have enjoyed lockdown in a sense, getting a chance to slow down, but for a lot of people it has been fairly tough, people living by themselves or those with pre-existing mental-health issues,” Stockdale said. “It’s a pretty tough time for them.”

The Ulsterman had used his lockdown to good effect, working on the 1966 Ford Mustang he bought pre-Covid-19 and leaving behind his most recent performance, a difficult day for Ireland at Twickenham on February 23 when Andy Farrell’s side were outclassed by England.

“That Twickenham game was definitely a tough game for me and I think, to be honest, not only has this lockdown helped me to really get my motivation up for going back (to rugby) but more importantly I wasn’t having to try and chase performances.

"It was quite nice to actually be able to leave that behind me and go ‘well, that’s done now’.

“So whenever we get back to rugby, whether it’s August, September, I’m going to be a completely different player.

"I’ll have a completely different mindset which is something that I’ve definitely been working on over the last couple of months.

“One of the big things for me has been putting emphasis on my kicking.

"As a winger, it gives you an extra weapon in terms of your attack and so that’s something I’ve been working on massively and hopefully it translates when we go back into games.

“I’ve been looking back and watching pretty much every single game I’ve played in the last three or four years.

“I’ve actually realised that whenever I’ve tried to overcomplicate things that’s when I don’t play too well.

With the IRFU targeting an August 22 resumption, Stockdale is excited about returning to work.

“It’s definitely a massive boost, exciting to have an actual date to work towards,” he said