CJ Stander is the Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year for 2016 and it would be hard to argue against his merit.
The Munster and Ireland back row was awarded the prize at an awards ceremony in Dublin on Tuesday night, which became a remarkably emotional evening for the 26-year-old.
Stander, who wears the number 8 for Munster, was brought to tears when Anthony Foley was mentioned as he picked up his reward for a hard year’s work that saw him admirably step up when his province needed him most.
“It means so much to me that I can wear that jersey,” Stander said. “I know how much it means to the fans of Munster.”
As a mark of respect to Foley, who tragically passed away in October, Stander honoured his legacy by opting to wear the number 24 jersey for Munster’s first game since the loss of their greatest ever number 8.
A lovely touch https://t.co/U2mcyOK7QG
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 21, 2016
But it was not just Stander’s performances for Munster that saw him recognised this week. He has been a powerhouse for the national side too, scoring three tries in his last 10 tests.
The South Africa-born Stander played a starring role in Ireland’s historic victory over the All Blacks in Chicago and not even a crunching shot to his head in New Zealand’s vicious vengeance a fortnight later would rule him out of one of his games of the year.
Against Australia, Stander enjoyed something close to the perfect match as he carried defiantly and continued to take more than one opposition player out of the game with his breathless drives into Aussie territory.
All in all, it’s been an unforgettable year for Stander and one which will encourage plenty of hope for Irish supporters as, in case you hadn’t been reading carefully, he’s only 26 years of age.
There’s a lot of miles left in this workhorse and a lot more awards to be won.
Catch up with this week’s episode of Football Friday Live
