Stander: I was always going to stay a Red
DAVID NUCIFORA produced another Christmas cracker yesterday as CJ Stander became the third Ireland rugby player in a week to commit his future to the IRFU until summer 2021. Hot on the heels of securing the coveted signatures of Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong and Munster’s Peter O’Mahony last Friday, Stander’s promotion to an IRFU central contract will be viewed as a huge coup for the Nuciforaled Irish union in light of the Munster back-row’s reported money-spinning offer from Top 14 club Montpellier. Stander used yesterday’s announcement as an opportunity to refute recent speculation of his possible departure to France and insisted that his intention was always to stay put in Limerick, his home since winter 2012, and to continue to play for Munster and Ireland. ‘Following a lot of speculation and unfounded articles in the media, I’m delighted to announce a three-year contract with the IRFU through to 2021,’ said the South African, who became Irish-eligible for the 2016 Six Nations after qualifying under the threeyear residency rule. ‘My intention was always to stay with Munster and
Ireland throughout this process, having settled well in Limerick with my wife and within the Munster family. My wife and I have made a lot of sacrifices to be here… Ireland is a special country in which to live and play rugby and I’m fully aware of that.’ Stander’s (left) decision to remain in Limerick spares the IRFU the embarrassment of losing one of the biggest successes of its controversial overseas project player recruitment drive. Capped 18 times by Joe Schmidt and a Lions tourist last summer in New Zealand, the 27-year-old had become a prime example of how the practice of bringing in uncapped foreigners with the potential to become Ireland-eligible was paying off for the national team. Stander’s deal means he becomes the third player contracted with the IRFU through to summer 2021. Furlong and O’Mahony also committed to similar- length deals when they agreed terms last week. Devin Toner is signed until summer 2020, while seven others — Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy, Robbie Henshaw, Keith Earls, Conor Murray, Sean O’Brien and Johnny Sexton — are contracted to the end of World Cup 2019. Rory Best, Rob Kearney, Jared Payne and Tommy Bowe are the remaining four centrally players whose deals expire next summer.
SHE was blonde, beautiful and (based on the half-hearted conversation she seemed to be having with her aggressive-looking pal) bored.
If you were young and single in Cork, Redz disco used to be the place to go and this particular Saturday evening in the early 1990s, one of the lads decided he would take a run at the blonde vision and make her night.
The same chap had garnered a reputation as a bit of a ladies man, so as he sauntered over to the blonde’s booth, it was with a definite degree of confidence. He has never been allowed to forget what happened next...
‘Excuse me, I was just wondering...did you come here to talk or did you come here to dance?’
The blonde looked up and slowly blew a plume of Benson and Hedges in his direction (it was the 1990s). ‘What the **** did you say, boy?’
She might have looked like an angel but her coarse vernacular and harsh accent suggested she may have been... to borrow from Cork snob parlance... NQOC (Not Quite Our Class).
‘Eh, I was just asking did you come here to talk or did you come here to dance?’ repeated the young lothario, rather less certainly this time.
‘I came here to talk... now **** off.’
In fairness, sometimes people are happier to talk than act and we have seen plenty of examples of this in professional rugby. Riki Flutey was all talk. The Kiwi landed over to England in 2005 with the express intention of maximising his earning potential. Flutey knew he had missed the boat in terms of All Blacks selection so decided to take the money on offer at London Irish, and then Wasps, before adding significantly to his income by qualifying for England.
Once the three-year qualification period was achieved in 2008, Flutey was immediately selected by England and spoke about his deep commitment to English rugby and how much wearing the red rose meant to him.
Flutey did well enough at international rugby to gain selection for the Lions tour to South Africa in 2009, and red rose supporters warmed to his abrasive, skilful style in the English midfield.
But then, largely on the back of his international performances, Brive came in with a massive offer and Flutey didn’t hesitate. So much for his deep commitment to English rugby. Josh Strauss was all talk. The South African was ‘thrilled’ to have the opportunity to play in Europe when he joined Glasgow in 2012.
Strauss loved the club, the Glaswegian way of life, the haggis, the Irn Bru… the works.
He became a darling of the Glasgow terraces, his bushy beard and physical style turning the No8 into a cult hero as he led the Warriors to the 2015 Pro12 title.
Strauss was then brought into the Scotland set-up as soon as his three years were done, belted out Flower of Scotland with gusto and spoke about how much it meant to him to wear the thistle.
Then he hightailed it to Sale for more money. All talk. Flutey and Strauss are stereotypical mercenaries — southern hemisphere opportunists happy to flip-flop on previous protestations of commitment to their adopted countries as soon as a bigger cheque comes along.
There are a lot of things you can say about Munster, Ireland and Lions backrow CJ Stander.
You can say he is a South African, and always will be. You can say he only came to Ireland once he realised he would not fulfil his lifelong dream of playing for the Springboks.
You can say he shouldn’t be playing for Ireland and is keeping true Irishmen like Jack Conan (and Peter O’Mahony during the last Six Nations) out of the team. You can say a great deal. But you can’t say he is a mercenary.
Stander has talked a lot over the past few years — how much he loves Limerick, how proud he is to play for Munster and Ireland, how important it was to him to learn the words of the national anthem — but now he has backed it up.
By agreeing a three-year deal yesterday to stay in Ireland, he has shown true and utter commitment because that decision will cost him hugely financially.
Whatever deal he secured with the IRFU will fall considerably short of the reported €840,000 a year on offer in France.
Of course, he will still be handsomely remunerated but, with those sort of figures available elsewhere, Stander could be missing out on the bones of €1million over three years by staying put.
In the increasingly balancesheet driven environs of professional rugby, that is a powerful statement and Stander deserves enormous credit for making it.
It does not lessen the sense of unease some of us experience seeing Stander, Bundee Aki, Jared Payne or any of the other project contingent run out in an Ireland jersey. But it helps.
As regards his contribution to Munster, there is no debate.
Take the Ireland issue off the table and we would talk about Stander with the same appreciation reserved for the likes of Rocky Elsom, Brad Thorn, Jim Williams, Doug Howlett or any of the imports who significantly raised the performances of the provinces they joined.
So bravo CJ, for putting your money where your mouth is — he came here to talk and he came here to dance and you can’t ask more than that.