He wore No.24 but CJ Stander played like the bristling, quintessential Munster No.8 today.
The South African is absorbed in every single piece of Munster Rugby now and delivered another 80+ minutes of power, passion and class for the cause and for the jersey.
He appeared to be in good spirits as he entered the press room, following Munster’s 38-17 victory over Glasgow Warriors, but the more he spoke about honouring the memory of the late Anthony Foley, the shakier his voice became; the longer the pauses.
“It was a very, very tough week,” he began. “I’m very proud of the boys and how they stood up. A lot of the boys turned into men this week.
“Our thoughts, all the time, are with the [Foley] family. With Olive, Dan and Tony.”
Stander said the entire Munster squad was braced for a difficult week when they learned of Foley’s tragic passing, last Sunday. He was happy, though, that Munster could deliver the type of performance ‘Axel’ knew they were always capable of.
He admitted, too, that the emotions of the day got to him when Dan and Tony, Foley’s two sons, came out onto the pitch to celebrate a rousing win.
“Today, we performed the way Axel wanted us to play when he first started [as coach] three years ago. I think we made him proud today. He is not a man who smiled a lot but he is probably up there saying ‘Boys, Glasgow scored a mauling try’.
“I think he’s proud, and smiling but… My heart is with Olive, Tony and Dan.
“It was great to see them on the pitch today, those two boys.”
“That moment was massive,” Stander continued.
“I think everybody deals with emotions differently. I wasn’t really emotional or crying but when I saw the two boys walking on the pitch, that’s when I… it’s when I broke down.
“The next few days, few years are going to be tough for them with no man in their life – they’ll miss their father and I am so sorry for them and for their loss. I know he meant the world to them. He meant the world to me.”
Next up for Munster is a Friday night trip to play Ulster in Belfast. Having proved just how good they can be, Stander is hopeful Munster can push on and keep up these high standards.
Stander reveals Foley often got frustrated with the squad as he knew they were capable of so much more.
“This is only the start now of what we can do. We are our own team now and we have to kick on from here… We have to push on for the next year.”
With exceptional performances from the likes of Rory Scannell, Niall Scannell, “world-class” Darren Sweetnam and more, there is hope for the future on a day Munster celebrated the passing of a legend.
“That’s a legacy that Axel left behind,” said Stander. “There’s no individuals in this team.
“You have to step up and you are only borrowing that jersey for the match.”
Stander will get that No.8 jersey back for Munster’s next game but he will never forget his one, perfect game as No.24.
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