Competition for a spot in Ireland’s back row is about to get a whole lot tougher.
Munster captain CJ Stander has revealed he had a meeting with Ireland coach Joe Schmidt last week about the possibility of coming on board for the 2016 Six Nations and beyond.
The 25-year-old, born and raised on South Africa’s Western Cape, became Irish-qualified on October 30 and remains keen on committing himself to Ireland.
Stander has been in terrific form over the last 18 months and would offer Ireland another level of back row dynamism, and determination.
Ahead of Munster’s Champions Cup clash with Treviso, Stander told reporters, “I saw [Schmidt] at training last week. We had a quick chat. He just asked me what was my plan and if we were going to go forward.”
He added, “[Schmidt] just said, ‘Keep playing like you’re playing and we’ll talk to you come January’.”
.@CJStander gathering his thoughts before talking to @SkySportsRugby #EdiVMun "We like it tough" pic.twitter.com/5PWU8lctNY
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) November 7, 2015
The back-row, who has taken over Munster’s captaincy until Peter O’Mahony’s return in Spring 2016, has set is sights on winning on of the toughest jerseys one can imagine – No.8. The incumbent is Jamie Heaslip, who many expect to captain Ireland in next year’s Six Nations.
Stander told The Irish Times, “I want to be the best eight in Europe.
“It’s great from my side to get that chat with [Schmidt] in. He knows what my plan is and I know what his plan is. That’s also a good thing.
“I try to be as good as I can be in the jersey I’m playing. If I’m getting judged for Munster, I’m going to get the same judgment from up there [with Ireland].”
