The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Stander homing in on return to South Africa
Ireland and Munster backrow CJ Stander has announced he will retire from all forms of rugby at the end of the season.
The South Africa-born 30-year-old won his 50th Test cap for his adopted country during Sunday’s 27-24 Guinness Six Nations win over Scotland.
Stander cited family reasons as the main motivation to call time on his career.
“All professional sportspeople are told ‘you will know when the time is right to hang up your boots’,” Stander posted on Instagram. “It’s a sentiment one cannot fully comprehend until that day arrives.
“For me, that time has come, and I hereby publicly announce my retirement from all forms of rugby.
“I will be available to represent Munster until 27 June 2021 when my contract expires, and, for international duty, until the end of the mid-year Test window.”
Stander has been virtually ever-present for Ireland since his debut in 2016, having qualified under residency rules the previous year.
He was part of the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand and represented Ireland at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, as well as winning a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018.
“During the lockdown, I did a stocktake of what matters most to me in life,” his statement continued. “My faith, family and this
incredible game I have played since I was six years old easily topped the list.
“However, I came to the realisation that my commitment to rugby has started to take an unfair toll on my family, who both in Limerick and South Africa have made considerable sacrifices for more than 25 years to allow me to live my dream.”
Stander, who will turn 31 early next month, reached 150 appearances for Munster at the end of January after joining from South African club Blue Bulls in 2012.
He was named his province’s player of the year on three occasions.
“I have just played my 50th Test for Ireland. I have
never considered myself a foreigner in an Irish jumper,” he added.
“It was during a freezing training session at Munster towards the end of 2020 that I just knew I had entered the final stretch of my career.
“I asked myself whether I was still enjoying this enough to earn the continued support of Munster and Ireland, and to justify the sacrifices my family was making.
“From a performance perspective, the answer was yes. But I always had the intent to retire while I was still playing some of my best rugby. I also knew I wanted my daughter Everli to grow up around her family in South Africa.”
Micky Mellon has revealed he won’t sign players for Dundee United on precontracts ahead of next season – because it would be morally wrong.
The Tangerines squad and staff accepted pay cuts in January as the financial impact of Covid-19 hit home at Tannadice.
Their sacrifice was appreciated by the manager, who also agreed to a wage reduction.
And Mellon revealed that the hit taken by current United employees meant he could not justify lining up deals for next season.
“It would have been difficult for us to look at pre-contracts morally,” he said. Our players took a wage cut, we all did.
“Morally and team spiritwise, I think it would have been horrendous to try and manage a group if we had signed players on pre-contracts.
“I don’t know if we had the ability to do either because I never asked because I just don’t think it would have been right!
“I couldn’t have looked my players in the eyes if I had done that.
“These boys were making sacrifices and I was signing possible replacements? I just don’t think that (would have been) right.”
Despite Mellon’s reluctance to commit to deals for next season over the last few months, he still has recruitment ambitions.
His staff are tracking a number of players, both abroad and at home.
But he insists fine-tuning his squad will not be a consideration until the summer, by which time next season’s budget is likely to be known.
He explained: “Once we get to the summer, we will look where we are up to.
“Who can keep us moving forward, what are we looking like and do we have the ability to bring people in? What areas do we need to improve in and who do we want to target?
“We just need to keep it going and keep it vibrant. Keep it optimistic and ambitious.”
Mellon has targeted a tilt at the Scottish Cup post-split.
A good cup run, allied with a strong finish in the Premiership, would represent a very respectable first season back in the top flight after years in the Championship.
But it wouldn’t satisfy. totally
For Mellon, the mission is one of constant improvement – and if he is able to add quality to his squad, he is keen to do so before next season.
“We are always trying to improve,” he said.
“We have a good recruitment set-up, which covers pretty much everywhere. Some of the stats we have for players across the world is incredible.
“There are players I am aware of. We have looked at stats, I’ve watched them and other people have watched them and if some of these players were to become available then we would be ready to move on them when the time is right.
“Recruitment all the time.
“The players know that and know they need to keep getting better or they will be improved upon.
“Unfortunately, that is the law of the jungle and that is football.”
“It would have been difficult for us to look at pre-contracts morally
is ongoing