CJ Stander: 'I’m South African by birth, but once you’re a Munster man, you’re always Munster'

Life is dramatically different now for CJ Stander. In the past year, he moved to Paarl, a town in the Cape Winelands with soaring temperatures at 40C - a far cry from Limerick on a gusty Saturday night

Munster’s CJ Stander calls home to his wife in South Africa after his last home game for the province, in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup game against Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park. Picture: Inpho/Morgan Treacy

Life is dramatically different now for CJ Stander. In the past year, the former Munster eight has relocated back to his country of birth, South Africa.

The life-changing move has seen Stander, his wife Jean-Marié, and young daughter Everli settle in Paarl, a town in the Cape Winelands that is well-known for soaring temperatures that often reach 40C in the warm summer months. It’s a far cry from Limerick on a gusty Saturday night.