LOOKING BACK NOW, it’s no surprise that CJ Stander’s first involvement in Test rugby was a carry short off a ruck.
We’re back in 2016 here, CJ Stander making his Ireland debut against Wales at blindside flanker.
Off slow ball, Stander manages to just about eke his way over the gainline, allowing Ireland to get back into their attacking flow on the next phase, with a half-break of the Welsh defence following on the next.
It’s the kind of carry that Stander has selflessly continued to offer for Ireland ever since.
He has made a remarkable 779 carries for Ireland in his 50 Tests [16 carries per game on average] ahead of today’s clash with England, with so many of those carries seeing him thunder into heavy traffic but generally helping Ireland back over the gainline, allowing team-mates to look better on the phases that follow.
In this instance against Wales, Stander was rapidly back onto his feet and two phases later his work-rate around the corner has him back on the ball, this time to pass to Johnny Sexton for a break.
While Stander’s attacking contributions for Ireland have always predominantly been based around ball-carrying in heavy traffic close to the ruck, he is capable of passing the ball too. It’s not the most fluid part of his game, but it has been willfully overlooked at times.
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He has passed and offloaded 222 times in his 50 Tests [four times per game on average] and this example allows Sexton to break into the Welsh 22.
Having cleared out a ruck in the meantime, Stander’s third touch in international rugby sees him make a good decision to pick and sneak away for a carry.
Completing a remarkably busy 60 seconds of action for Ireland on his debut, Stander then makes another carry off scrum-half Conor Murray.
This kind of all-action passage is what Stander’s career with his adopted nation has been built on. Gritty carrying close to the ruck – the kind most players show nowhere near as much relish for – has been a staple, with the Munster man setting the tone with 23 carries on his debut in 2016.
Stander also completed all 12 of his tackles in that 16-16 draw with Wales, setting a standard of defensive accuracy and application that simply hasn’t let up. Over the course of his 50 Tests, Stander has completed 502 tackles [10 per game on average] at an excellent success rate of 92%.
While every player would love to be the one flinging offloads and beating defenders regularly, everyone can’t be that player. Everyone shouldn’t be that player either. Rugby takes a combined, collective effort featuring skillsets of all types. Stander’s role with Ireland has been about tight carrying, dogged tackling, set-piece accuracy, ceaseless work-rate, and a very low error count. The last of those things is vastly underrated. Top-level rugby games are decided by errors as often as they are by moments of magic.
Stander was picked for Ireland by Joe Schmidt as soon as he was eligible for the start of the 2016 Six Nations and has essentially been selected for every single frontline Test they have played since when he has been fit – which he invariably is.
He was a key figure in the 2016 win over the All Blacks in Chicago, fighting typically hard to score a try in that historic 40-29 success.
Stander started all five of Ireland’s Grand Slam games in 2018, again notching a crucial try as Schmidt’s side sealed the deal in emphatic fashion against England in Twickenham.
Later that year, Stander started all three of Ireland’s summer Tests as they pulled off their first series success in Australia since 1979.
In November 2018, Stander and Ireland beat the All Blacks for a second time.
It’s worth recalling that he also went on the Lions tour in 2017, managing to work his way into the matchday 23 by the third Test and earning his cap off the bench during a dramatic draw with the Kiwis.
Of course, Schmidt’s Ireland era ended in miserable fashion at the 2019 World Cup but Stander was one of the better Ireland players at that tournament, having had his starting spot strongly questioned by fans and the media during the build-up.
Consistency and durability have been two of Stander’s key traits in his Ireland career and he has maintained them in the Andy Farrell era too. Like Schmidt and Warren Gatland, Farrell is clearly a fan of Stander’s, picking him to start for 13 of 14 Tests.
To his credit, Stander has added strings to his bow in more recent times.
He was always capable of competing for turnovers at the breakdown but Stander has honed his craft in this area to become a key jackler for Ireland.
Stander has been backed by the Ireland coaches to be more aggressive around the breakdown in recent years. His durability and doggedness have been key to his success, as we see here against Wales last year as it takes the referee almost seven seconds to reward him.
Technically and physically, Stander has worked hard to allow himself to improve in the art of jackling. He is also a turnover threat in the tackle via strips on ball-carriers.
In total, Stander has won 28 turnovers for Ireland in his 50 Tests.
Stander has also been a lineout jumping option for Ireland over the past five years, as well as being consistently accurate in nailing his ‘roles’ around maul attack and defence.
Jumping is not the most natural part of his game but, again, he has worked hard on his skills and understanding in this department. A lineout steal against Wales during this Six Nations was an illustration of his growth.
In a way, this moment sums up Stander in his time Ireland – an excellent Test player who consistently looked for ways to stay ahead of his rivals.
And Stander very much did that over the course of his five years in green, consistently fighting off challengers every time his starting spot was being questioned.
Whether at blindside flanker, where he will end his Ireland career today against England, number eight, or even occasionally at openside, Stander nearly always delivered on exactly what he was asked to do with accuracy, aggression, and relentlessness.
While never named the official starting captain, he has even led Ireland late on during games, underlining his leadership qualities too.
As he gets set for his final appearance in the green jersey with a 65% win rate, a Grand Slam, two wins over the All Blacks, and a series success in Australia behind him, no one can question Stander’s commitment or success as an Ireland player.
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Glad to see both managers talking sense. I know Antrim got to the final of the U21 few years back but in general ulster teams got a hiding in all ireland semi finals.
Saturday’s mismatch was no Benifit to anyone. Ok as the Derry manager said his players want to play in Thurles etc. They can’t have enjoyed the Thurles experience on Saturday.
Try an open draw as Eddie said, and a proper B grade competition with ulster trans included with the final on the same day as the A final.
@Diarmuid: there already is a b competition and the final is played before the a final
@Noel Kelly: i realise that Noel but as the Derry manager said the B grade should be restructed to include the ulster champions as well. They are out of there depth at the A level
@Diarmuid: and too good for the B Championship.
Completely agree with Eddie Brendan. This year’s semi finals illustrated the serious issues facing hurling. The Kilkenny Derry game is self explanatory. No way should both teams be on the same pitch. It hinders rather than helps both counties. On the other side we had probably the best u21 team in the country playing their first championship match against a battle hardned side. Very unfair on Galway. Tom Fahey
All about bloody funding,the love for hurling in Derry(parts of)is there,was involved in schools in the 80s,all funded , introduced hurling,football camphor,to kids who wouldn’t have even seen it before,funding ran out(cross border funding) after 2 years,so a lot of kids who weren’t in Gaa clubs finished being interested in our national games,we were full time in primary/secondary schools,do when the scheme finished,most of our work came to nothing,(all coaches were badged)feel something like this initiative needs to happen in Ulster
@billy Dorney: excuse the misspelling,camogie,i meant
@billy Dorney: There is a lot more to it than that, there are many counties and county boards throughout Ireland that refuse to promote hurling as it should as it eat up all resources that Gaelic Football uses, it is so pathetic that there are many counties that do not even put forward a B U21 team, the big ball is king.
@ktsiwot: agree
@ktsiwot: yes,and it’s not going to change anytime soon,so hurling loses
why is the solution always to throw them into Leinster? Wexford Dublin and even westmeath would have hammered that Derry team. why just devalue Leinster and leave precious Munster alone? if ya want to get rid of the provinces, then they all have to go and open up to a group
@Ger O’Meara: devalue leinster by adding Galway u must be joking look how much they have added to the senior hurling.
Galway should go into Leinster and then winners of Leinster and Munster go straight to the final. Big mistake to let go of the Munster Championship if it happens.
All this absolute shite talk about the “Munster championship” what’s so sacred about it. Limerick and Clare have won loads of Munster U21 in last decade and are currently way off the pace required at senior level..There will always be an asterix beside the 2013 AIF. The Munster SHC has been quite poor for years, take out Tipp and the rest are average enough, except for a few bubble performances here and there.. They dont like to hear that in Munster, but thats a fact..It’s not all that!
@Lord Clanricarde: I don’t get this asterix thing about 2013. Why is there an asterix about it. Clare beat everyone put before them and won the all Ireland. End of story. It’s not like Kilkenny, Tipp and Galway didn’t enter the championship that. Same teams started out as every year so I think people need to give Clare the respect they deserve and stop downgrading their all Ireland. If Kilkenny had won in 2013 instead of Clare there’d be no talk of asterix’s. Cork won 2010 football all Ireland beating down. Tipp beat Antrim in an all Ireland in 89 I think. Why no asterix’s against them???
@Lord “up me own hole from Galway”Please stop blowing your own pipa you clown.
@John Carroll: Nice to see neither if ye argued with me on the fact that Munster hurling is not all it’s cracked up to be.. It’s a competition full of sentimentality and old farts scared of change in case it effects the “magical” Munster championship!..Nevermind that Tipp win it whenever they decide to get the lead out!!
Galway should go into Leinster and the winners of Leinster and Munster then play in All Ireland Final. Big mistake if we lost the Munster Championship