Stander eager to stay and join Munster legends

CJ Stander wants to stay at Munster well beyond his current contract in a bid to make a similar impact on the province as Doug Howlett.

The South African-born back row is set to start at No.8 for Munster in their make or break Champions Cup clash at Clermont Auvergne on Sunday and his statement of intent will be a welcome boost to morale after a difficult week in which rising fly-half star JJ Hanrahan has been linked with a move away to Northampton next summer.

Stander, 24, has arguably been Munster’s player of the campaign so far in this, his third season since joining from the Blue Bulls. He becomes Irish eligible next November with his current deal set to run until the following summer in 2016, and in an exclusive interview to published in tomorrow’s Irish Examiner Sport, he talks about wanting to extend his stay and make his mark on the province he now calls home, emulating former All Black wing Howlett, who became a Heineken Cup-winning hero and is now a Munster corporate ambassador.