THE HARSH TRUTH ABOUT CJ
South African gave his all but Munster and Ireland will improve with him gone
LAST summer’s Lions tour to South Africa was an unwatchable blight upon the game, the lack of entertainment on offer ruthlessly exposed by comparison to the Euros, Olympics and the GAA Championships.
For such an expedition of unremitting gloom, shards of light were in short supply but one illuminating aspect from an Irish rugby perspective were the performances of Jack Conan.
The Lions, although it may not have seemed that way this summer, are the elite level for Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh players and the Leinster No8 more than held his own, emerging as one of the best of Warren Gatland’s squad. The fact he was viewed as a ‘left-field’ selection in the first place and is now considered the tour’s ‘surprise package’ told its own story.
The Wicklow man is 29 and has been on the scene for many years as a standout player for Leinster, yet has only accumulated 20 Ireland caps since his 2015 debut.
Injuries have played a part in his relative lack of international exposure over this period but the primary reason is that Conan’s Ireland career, up to now, coincided with CJ Stander’s.
Indeed, he was back-up to the South African right up to the last game in this year’s Six Nations and only got his shot against England because of injury to James Ryan.
Tadhg Beirne switched to second row, Stander moved to flanker and Conan came in for a man of the match display at No8. The upshot was Ireland’s best display by a mile during the unconvincing reign of Andy Farrell and Conan getting called up by the Lions. Stander did not get a look in. Something similar happened before the last Lions tour to New Zealand in 2017. The South African was keeping Peter O’Mahony out of the Ireland backrow but a late injury to Jamie Heaslip saw the Corkman come in to steal the show and a few weeks later O’Mahony was captaining the Lions in the first Test.
NOT ALL ABOUT THE STATS
STANDER made his debut the year after Conan and picked up 51 caps until his final appearance in that win over England this year.
The South African was a go-to selection for former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and then his successor, Farrell, but his regular presence in the team was at the expense of homegrown talent.
Stander undoubtedly had qualities that appealed to coaches, his durability, workrate and commitment were never in question but he was also limited when it came to the all-round requirements of No8.
Not a notable lineout presence, Stander was also extremely onedimensional in attack — drawn religiously to contact while lacking the nuance and ball skills to offer variety in possession.
While his style may have suited the structured approach of Schmidt when Ireland were in their pomp between 2016 and 2018, teams began to work Stander out and his effectiveness on the carry waned dramatically.
Over the past few seasons, the man-of-the-match awards which dominated his early years in this country dried up and, while the carrying stats were still impressive, they did not tell the whole story. Both Munster and Ireland suffered for his predictability as opponents lined him up and moved him down for minimal yardage gained.
IT’S JUST BUSINESS
NOW he is back home in South Africa, there is suddenly a queue of homegrown talent jostling for spots in the Irish backrow, all notably superior footballers.
Conan, Caelan Doris and Max Deegan at Leinster, Gavin Coombes at Munster, Paul Boyle in Connacht and Ulster’s Nick Timoney represent a rich seam of Irish talent, equipped with the footballing skills Stander did not possess.
It creates a sense of frustration from the knowledge that Ireland’s evolution could be further along the track (with players brought up through the Irish system) had the South African not been indulged to the extent he was.
Whenever you question the merits of Stander, Quinn Roux, James Lowe, Rob Herring or any of Ireland’s long list of blow-in opportunists, the mob emerges in force.
Overseas players are ‘soft targets for the media’, you are told, amid accusations of engaging in ‘personal attacks’ — it got so ridiculous that there was even a crew championing the cause of, and seeking sympathy for, convicted steroid abuser Gerbrandt Grobler when he was with Munster a few seasons back.
These players are not soft targets, as soon as they make the decision to further their earning potential with a different country to their own — compromising the careers of indigenous players in the process — they are open to question and it is never personal, it’s just business. The same way it is business to swap countries in the first place and, in Stander’s case, to return home once you qualify for your tax refund from Irish income.
Stander was, and is, an extremely popular figure in Irish rugby. His total commitment to whatever team represented, allied to an engaging personality, won over legions of fans.
But that should not get in the way of the facts.
Like the fact that, while he was a huge servant to Munster rugby over many years, the province did not win any trophies on his watch and now they have a chance to ask more questions of the opposition in the big knockout games where they have continually come up short.
Or the fact that Stander was an obstacle to developing Irish players, just as the likes of fellow imports Billy Burns and Jamison Gibson-Park continue to be at out-half and scrum-half, when there is seriously exciting talent to be looked at.
NAIVE REVIEW
LAST July on a local podcast back home, Stander stressed ‘I am South African’ and told how much he enjoyed singing his national anthem before the Tests with the Lions.
It was admission of the obvious and unavoidable, no amount of Amhrán na bhFiann renditions made him Irish, despite how many of his acolytes wished it so.
These players are not victims, they made their decision to deny Irish players caps and criticism comes with that adopted territory. Stander deserves respect and even affection for his commitment and contribution to Irish rugby but that should not descend into a naive review of reality.
He did his time, earned his corn and took it home — now Munster and Ireland have the opportunity to improve without him.
Harsh? Maybe. But also true.