CJ Stander: The perfect Lion.
On April 19, Warren Gatland named his 41-man British and Irish Lions squad to tour New Zealand, and deservedly included among them was Munster and Ireland backrower CJ Stander.
His inclusion was never really in any doubt, with most high profile pundits even going so far as to include him in their Test team for this summer’s three battles with the All Blacks.
But what makes a good Lion in any case? An unanswerable question surely, but three aspects crucial to being there in the first place are form, passion and belief.
When I was lucky enough to meet and chat with Stander in the summer, ahead of Ireland’s tour to South Africa, he was open and ambitious enough to reveal his career goals to me.
He had only just come off the back of his very first Six Nations campaign a couple of months earlier and had just concluded one of Munster’s most disappointing seasons in years, with the province scrambling to make Champions Cup qualification by the end.
A second consecutive group stage exit for the former two-time champions of Europe, a sixth-placed Pro12 finish and five international caps at that stage. But yet Stander didn’t blink when he revealed his objective to make the Lions squad in a year’s time.
“I want to get into the Lions squad if I can, that’s my next goal, and then if my body allows me, to play in the World Cup for Ireland in 2019,” Stander told me back in May.
“On a personal level, I want to win a senior cup. I’ve never won a senior or provincial medal for the Bulls or Munster. I also want to win a Six Nations. That would be great.”
The first of those goals was achieved last week, as the man born in the Western Cape of South Africa was announced as a part of Gatland’s Lions squad.
A Lions tour, a World Cup, provincial silverware and the Six Nations title. Enough to make legends of the game satisfied with their careers, but such is the calibre of Stander, each goal seems infinitely within reach for the No 8, and in truth they did so even last summer when all did not appear so rosy.
Despite Munster’s poor form last year, Stander was one of very few bright sparks with his consistency of performance and power play remarkable. More than this, he grew into a leader last year in trying circumstances and he hasn’t looked back.
He is now also a staple of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland XV. A XV which famously beat New Zealand and Australia in November, and also ended England’s long unbeaten run and Grand Slam attempt at the Aviva in March.
At Munster, the season has been one to remember. Spurred on by the devastating passing of head coach Anthony Foley and the razor sharp tactics of Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus in his first season at the helm, Munster have enjoyed a superb campaign both domestically and in Europe.
A run to the semi-final of the European Cup against Saracens in Dublin, marked by an electric atmosphere and wonderful occasion generated by Munster’s supporters, along with a confirmed league semi-final on the horizon means Stander can look back contently.
Indeed, that semi-final defeat to Saracens encapsulated another aspect which will serve Stander so well as a Lion. Courage.
Clearly still affected by the ankle injury he sustained in the quarter-final victory over Toulouse, Stander was penciled in for no more than 50 minutes, but played on in clear pain as fellow backrowers Tommy O’Donnell and Peter O’Mahony were forced off.
An exceptional display of selflessness followed for his province as he limped and grimaced from ruck to ruck, eventually touching down for a try in the final minute. It was extraordinary, as Stander has been in every facet of his game for the last three seasons.
Sadly, the only thing not so rosy any longer is the repeated jibes at Stander concerning his eligibility for Ireland.
These have mostly been persisted by journalists who have never met or spoken with Stander, and rather disappointingly, frequently recurred by two high-profile Irish journalists.
There is an undoubted polemic nature to the residency rule, with many rugby players holding a genuine affection for their adopted nation, but it also indisputably true that such a rule leaves the sport wide-open to avaricious and mercenary motives.
One such player to have benefited from this rule is of course Stander. When speaking to him, there is a genuine feeling though that his case is different. This is a guy who was told there was nothing for him in South Africa and almost quit the game altogether. A guy who despite his clear talent was shafted, incredibly, for being “too small.”
As a consequence, he took the decision to grasp a chance with Munster and fly 10,000 kilometres to the opposite side of the globe. A decision he and his wife could not have taken lightly at just 22 years of age.
This is one of the things we do not take into account about the sportspeople that come to play in Britain, France or Ireland. The sacrifices they make are completely disregarded as everything is looked at solely through a sporting lens.
When speaking to Stander he added: “It was difficult, but the difficult thing was me leaving the farm and family behind, they’re my biggest support structure and leaving that behind meant that it was just me and my wife coming over and down to just the two of us.”
From a sports perspective, considering the power game Stander exhibits today, it is unfathomable, ridiculous even, to think that he was told he was too small.
Speaking to him, there is no kidology. It would be easy for Stander to say that he came to Ireland with an ambition of pulling on the green or that he had always admired the country etc., but he didn’t. He was straight. His love for and want to represent Ireland happened once he arrived, purely because he immersed himself into the community.
Stander’s affection for Ireland and the way he has embedded himself into Irish culture is sincere and obvious. Historically, it has often been said that his province Munster have been at their best when their backs are to the wall or when people doubt them. Stander arriving to Ireland with a chip on his shoulder, having been told that there was nothing for him in South Africa, can be seen as a real Munster mentality. Rejection, pain and injustice are not prerequisites for success but they definitely help, and when I spoke to Stander a steely determination was immediately noticeable in him.
There was genuine emotion in Stander’s voice when he spoke about the feelings he felt when making his debut for Ireland against Wales in February 2016.
“It’s difficult to put into words because my brain only came back to me about two hours after the match,” Stander told me back in May.
“I was crying that day and was just so proud to be on that level there with that group, standing there singing that anthem.
“From an Irish side, I’ve had a good connection with the supporters but you can’t keep everyone happy.
“I think in general everyone has been happy but you have a few who aren’t. For example I just saw on Twitter that people have changed the residency rule to the ‘CJ Stander rule’, so I will probably get an earful of that but that stuff doesn’t bother me as long as I work hard and do my job and show how much the jersey means to me.
“The other thing is that I’m not the first person to get in through this rule.
“There are a lot of people before me who just got in under the radar and they’re just a French or a Scottish player now.”
Twitter trolls aside, Stander’s comments testified to the fact that sport is in a vastly different space to the 1980’s and 1990’s even, let alone before that.
Today, domestic football leagues contain more foreign players than native ones, most noticeably in the Premier League of course, while second and third generation players are far more accepted simply because it is so widespread and commonplace within sport.
Stander saw an opportunity to further his career with Munster & Ireland and hasn’t looked back.
“There was a point where I got selected for the ‘Six Young Guns’, which is what they called us, where we trained with the Springboks and were like interns; if someone wanted to sit down I had to pull out their chair.
“There were six guys and out of that six, four guys have played Springboks and there’s just me and another guy but he’s very close to becoming a Springbok.
“At that stage though I just saw that, and it will sound weird, but I saw that I was not born to represent that jersey.
“I could just feel that for some reason. Two weeks later I arrived in Munster and I said to myself, ‘this is your decision, you have to back it.’
“I wasn’t born here, I have no Irish grandfather or anything under the ‘Granny rule’, but I just fell in love with this place and I put a lot of work into it and got a lot of work put into me as a player and also on a social level.
“It was a feeling, and I’m not sure why I had this feeling, but I was more comfortable in a country that I was not born or supposed to be, and it comes down to fate: that I am supposed to here and supposed to do what I’m doing.
I belie anyone to meet and talk to Stander and still argue that he should not be allowed to play for Ireland or the Lions. The truth is that it is people like Stander who are prouder to be Irish and represent Ireland than many who grow up in the country itself.
“Maybe I should have been born in Ireland and maybe someone else should have been born in South Africa,” he says at the end of an extraordinary elucidation of his feelings.
Don’t misinterpret me though, this is not to say that the residency rule isn’t flawed. It definitely is. But there are exceptions and there are people who can move countries and genuinely and veritably adopt them as their own, as it is clear Stander has done.
As part of a wider project I was producing on nationalism in Irish sport, I asked all my contributors what being Irish meant to them. Stander’s answer was one of, if not the most emotional of all my contributors. During our meeting, Stander paused for 13 long seconds just looking down at the desk between us, intensely focusing on how he wanted to put his answer. He treated it almost as a love letter of thanks to his adopted nation and explained the accommodating, supportive and selfless nature of Ireland in great sentiment and detail.
He will serve the Lions proudly and with tremendous dignity and to suggest otherwise would not only be in poor taste, but erroneous to the extreme. In New Zealand rugby they have a phrase: “better people make better All Blacks”. If that can be applied to the Lions as well then the backrow will be in good hands with Stander.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Word in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
4 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
1 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to commentsWhat is criminal is she acts like it's no problem her actions have have cause the Italian player to lose her playing career, lose salary, if she did this in day to day life she would be in jail, she is a complete thug!!!
4 Go to commentsCorrect me if i’m wrong but the sadas have to win all games running into the finals yeh nah?
1 Go to comments