Newcomer CJ Stander makes excellent first impression

The one thing you can say for Christiaan Johan Stander is that he makes a habit of making a first impression. On his debut start for Munster against Glasgow away back in 2012, he bullocked over for a couple of tries and took home the Man of the Match award. Here, he didn't quite manage the five-pointer but he as good as had Man of the Match tucked away inside the opening half an hour.

He even made a point of shaking hands with each of the journalists who circled him for the post-match quotes, although we must presume he’ll grow out of that in time.

Stander was Ireland’s opening spell made flesh. He barrelled into Welshmen at every opportunity, thunked his way over the gainline right from the off.

In keeping with the rest of his team, that early intensity waned a little as the afternoon wore on. But he caught enough eyes to have his name called out as time ran dead near the end. You’d be hard pushed to be dogmatic that someone else deserved it more.

“I think they just went, ‘Aw he’s new, just give it to him.’ I just want to play my game. If I get an award, for me it’s all about the team. I play good if the team plays good and if the team plays good I play good. It’s good to get that individual recognition but it’s all about the team.”

Quite a trip

Stander’s had quite a trip to get here. One of the stars of South Africa’s side in the 2009 World Under-20 championship, he’s put down his time in Munster with a day like this forever on the horizon. When it arrived, he wanted to do all he could to honour it, right down to getting Donnacha Ryan to help him out during the week with Amhrán na bhFiann. We asked him how he’d rate his first attempt at belting it out.

“I was very emotional, it was my first time getting out there in front of the president, all the supporters you know – I’d say 10! I was happy enough to be next to Tommy [O’Donnell] and [Conor] Murray, and when I got lost here and there it was easy enough to jump in. But Donnacha Ryan stepped up this week and learned me a few words, learned me the whole thing. I tried to make him proud.

“I wish my family were here. But when I heard I was in the team it was a bit difficult for them to get over. My wife was here, I think she’s still crying, I’m going to see her now. It’s good. Everyone back home, my phone is going to be mental, I’d big support from there.

“You can’t put into words the support, it’s an unbelievable experience in this place in front of this crowd. I never thought I’d get this opportunity and this week was one of the most emotional weeks I’ve had. Walking down from the hotel to the pitch, it’s goosebumps stuff. I’m humbled by this opportunity, and I’m glad to get it.”

For all his stellar displays in the Munster backrow, this was always going to be different gravy. Add in the fact that he was coming it to take Seán O’Brien’s spot in the team and he’d have been forgiven if the ramifications had made his head spin. But he hung in and clung on.

“It’s funny because you play against the boys in the Pro12 and European games and then you get out there today and it’s a massive step-up in intensity. Everything was a big step-up. The first 20 minutes was tough going but after that you get used to it, you get your second breath and you just play your game. I was delighted with that. It’s great to get the opportunity.

A good base

“I would have liked to have more metres made but it was just good to get my first cap under the belt and get the ball in my hand. It was a good base and good to get used to it and, hopefully, into the next few games.

“We let them back in the game. We knew we had to score on them, we knew we needed to get the ball back, in fairness to them they kept the ball for, I don’t know, 25 phases, they kept on going.

“We didn’t get the ball that much in the second half – I don’t know what the stats were – but it’s something you need to end out the game and we did great to get where we are.”