CJ Stander: I was stressed waiting for Joe Schmidt’s Ireland call

CJ Stander admits he was feeling the pressure before an e-mail from the IRFU dropped into his inbox and confirmed he definitely had a shot at Test rugby with Ireland.

Munster’s powerhouse back row and stand-in captain was reduced to a nervous wreck as he waited for news of the make-up of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad last week having finally qualified for his adopted country last November, three years after leaving the Blue Bulls in South Africa.

An invitation to Schmidt’s New Year mini-camp at Carton House gave Stander, 26, a brief introduction to life in the national set-up but it was not until official confirmation arrived last Wednesday that he was in the Six Nations squad for the first two matches next month that the forward could breath a sigh of relief and focus in on achieving his dream of wearing the Ireland jersey.