Ireland assistant coach Mike Catt has backed wing Jacob Stockdale to return to form in the Six Nations following a poor World Cup.

Stockdale was one of a number of players to underperform in Japan, and did not score a try in the tournament.

The 23-year-old claimed his first try of the season in Ulster's win over Munster at the start of January.

"Players at that sort of age do dip in form and you learn and you keep bouncing back up," said Catt.

Stockdale will start in a back three with Jordan Larmour and Andrew Conway in Ireland's opening Six Nations games against Scotland on Saturday.

The same trio started Ireland's opening World Cup game against the Scots, which was also their best performance of the tournament.

"We do expect a huge bounce back from Jacob and some of other the players off the back of that World Cup," said Catt, who has joined new head coach Andy Farrell's coaching staff.

"He has definitely got the attributes to be a word class winger, and he's proved that he is."

Having made his international debut in 2017 Stockdale enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence in 2018, winning the Six Nations Player of the Championship having scored a record seven tries in the competition.

Later that year he scored a stunning solo effort as Ireland defeated New Zealand on home soil for the first time.

However, the Ulster wing lost his try-scoring form last year and a difficult World Cup led to some questioning his place in the starting line-up.

He is the only member of the back three that started Ireland's quarter-final defeat by New Zealand to retain his place for the Scotland game with Rob Kearney and Keith Earls both missing out.

"He is a class player and he's got class players inside him," said Catt.

"That's the crucial bit, giving him the time and the space on the ball so that he can do what he's very good at.

"That's something that [the players] inside of him need to get right and he can do the rest."