Ready to stand and fight for his place

Watching CJ Stander give crack smiles and dish out bear hugs in Thomond Park’s renovated Dug Out Bar earlier this week was to witness a guy comfortable in his surroundings and in his own skin.

Anything but the clichéd dour Springbok, Stander has integrated effortlessly into the culture. Paul O’Connell spoke last season about how he was the “life and soul” of the gym and a willing performer on the comedy circuit at the back of the bus.

Life on the pitch has been less seamless, however. A finger injury soon after his arrival didn’t help and fleeting appearances off the bench came to be his lot as he handled what former coach Rob Penney labelled a massive learning curve on arriving in Ireland.