CJ READY FOR NEW DEMANDS
Rested Stander gets ready to bounce back
WALT DISNEY and the magic behind Disney World could be the unlikely key to one of Munster and Ireland’s main players having a superb campaign this season. CJ Stander has been an integral part for both sides since he first threw on a Munster jersey in 2012-13, and a green one around four years later. And his imagination ran wild for three days when he visited the Orlando entertainment dreamland during the summer to recharge the batteries and prepare for a crunch season. It was a busy time for the South African, who helped mastermind Ireland’s victory in an historic tour Down Under as well as taking in a trip back home for three weeks and a two-week stint in the USA. “I am actually a big kid. To be on those rides and to meet all of those characters that you have seen when you were a kid, it’s a great way to reset the mind after a tough season,” said Stander. The 28-year-old No 8 has made 114 appearances for Munster and scored 33 tries since arriving from South Africa. He came with bags of potential but exceeded that, playing a prominent role for the Lions in New Zealand, as well as being part of the Ireland team that famously downed the All Blacks in Solider Field. Stander has scored nine tries for Ireland in his 26 caps, and there will be another meeting with the World Cup holders in the November. It’s a mouth-watering prospect. “We are playing against some of the best teams in the world in November. You get a chance to prove yourself to your team-mates and the rugby world,” said Stander. “It’s a chance to just test yourself where you get the opportunity to play against some of the best. You go out and see what they have to give half a year before the World Cup.”
Champions
Ireland are the team to beat in Europe. The Six Nations champions secured a Grand Slam last season too and it whets the appetite before they face the best on offer from the south. Scotland, Japan, Russia and Samoa provide the opposition in Pool A before Ireland can even think about breaking their dreaded quarter-final hoodoo. If Joe Schmidt’s side cannot secure top spot, and finish runners-up in their pool, they could be facing New Zealand in the second quarter-final at Tokyo Stadium on October 19. But that’s something they will surely look to avoid. And the internationals won’t be giving too much away at that stage of the season either. “We are going to have a pre-season before the World Cup. But the work you are putting in now is going to come through then. For now it’s just Munster on the mind,” said Stander. “When you finish the season there are just few months left to the World Cup and then it will get quite intense. For now we have got a lot of stuff to go through with the PRO14, Champions Cup, November internationals and there is a Six Nations. “That thing is way out of mind at the moment. There is a lot of stuff before that has to happen.” But Stander definitely does have some unfinished business on the playing fields with Munster this season. And their disappointing semi-final defeats in the Champions Cup and PRO14 hurt hard last season. “We gave ourselves a chance by getting to the semis. We didn’t really use the opportunity. In both semi-finals we didn’t really pick up on the day,” said Stander. “Against Leinster we were just outplayed, and against Racing they were just better on the day. Those things are tough. We have done that now for two or three years on the bounce. You always want to win stuff. “We set ourselves goals and we want to win the PRO14, and we gave ourselves a chance. But it was difficult, Leinster were the best team in Europe by far and it’s good to learn things. At some stage those learnings are going to come through hopefully. “It was tough for Johann van Graan last year. Coming in just a week before a European game, to take over a team is tough. He can’t really do what he wants to do, and that was the same with JP Ferreira. “Now with a full pre-season he can lay down his marker and the way he wants to play. The same with JP and all
of the other coaches, just to learn how to do the talk and the walk. “It’s great to be on the back of that now and pushing the competition.” And the competition is rife at the high-performance centre. Robin Copeland may have exited for the Sportsground but a familiar face, Arno Botha, came through the doors to fight for the coveted No 8 jersey. “We played together at the Bulls, he was a year younger than me. At that stage he was a No 8 as well. “Because we were competition we weren’t really best mates, but we were mates. “We are all grown up now. He’s a great player, a great signing and a big athlete. I am really looking forward to what he can bring to this team.
Smart
“I knew him so I was trying to get him sorted when he got here. He is a smart man anyway. He played in London Irish as well so he knew a little bit about Europe, the UK and Ireland. He settled in quite easily.” It means Stander won’t even be guaranteed his Munster jersey in a World Cup year, but he thrives on the competition. “You want a squad that pushes each other. You don’t want to be sitting back and getting selected even though you are not playing your best or not performing,” said Stander. “You want someone to push the boat out and you want to be on that boat, at the front. It’s good that we have competition in the whole squad. It means there is depth. “There are a lot of positions open and a few boys can put their hand up and take a jersey,” he added.
‘You want someone to push the boat out and you want to be on that boat, at the front’