CJ Stander: Anthony Foley is right man for the job

CJ Stander believes the best is to come from Anthony Foley and the Munster head coach’s contract extension will lead to next season being “Axel’s year”.

Stander will lead Munster tomorrow evening against Leinster in a must-win Guinness Pro12 clash at Aviva Stadium having been made team captain by Foley in the absence of long-term injury victim Peter O’Mahony.

There have been trying times this season on Stander’s watch but the newly-capped Ireland back-rower feels Foley is the right man for the job and his one-year contract extension for 2016-17, confirmed a fortnight ago, will put the first two seasons of his tenure into context.

“When I arrived here (in 2012) it was probably not his decision and I didn’t really play (under previous head coach Rob Penney) but he always backs players if they do well so he backed me and that is good,” Stander said.

“The last two years for him was probably tough. But if you stick with someone, especially with him, he knows what he wants to do, we know what he wants. I just think it is small stuff we can fix. We always said it was small stuff to fix but it’s tough when we don’t fix it.

“I think next year is Axel’s year. We just need to, as we do, back him. He backs us. I’m delighted with him signing another year.

“It just shows he wants to be here and that Munster want him here.”