Ever since April 1, CJ Stander has been carrying an injury. Somehow, through his own dogged will and umpteen rolls of ankle-strapping, he has played four times since then.
Three of the times have been wire-to-wire, 80-minute jobs. He was supposed to get an easy ride at Treviso but came on after only 12 minutes and put in a shift.
He always puts in a shift. He can’t help himself.
There has been a worrying trend, though, since he picked up that ankle injury in the Champions Cup quarter final win over Toulouse. Stander is playing but he is so far from fit it is not even remotely funny.
Credit: Munster Rugby
When compared with the rest of his beleaguered Munster teammates, Stander put in some decent numbers – 12 carries for 26 metres gained, eight tackles made. On the negative or non-existent side, there was a badly missed tackle but a distinct lack of line breaks, defenders beaten, offloads or turnovers won. He bounced off Tadhg Beirne for the Scarlets lock’s crucial try too.
When compared to the numbers that Stander was putting in earlier in the season, and in the Six Nations, they are night and day.
There was only one moment in the match – a humbling 46-22 reversal at the hands of Scarlets – that you could call typical of the Stander we know and respect so much. 54 minutes in, he received a pass from Conor Murray and charged headlong up the pitch, making 10 metres before finding Francis Saili on his shoulder.
Under no real sort of pressure, Saili knocked on. It was that sort of evening for Munster.
Stander passed away 40% of the ball he received. This, too, is unusual. Munster’s No.8 is so often their fulcrum but he barely featured in so many of their attacking spurts, with Munster cross-kicking and focusing on a set-piece and maul game-plan that never worked out.
Following Munster’s Champions Cup semi final loss to Saracens, Rassie Erasmus revealed Stander was only supposed to play ’40 or 50 minutes’ on his dicky ankle but was required for the full match as bodies dropped all around him.
At the time, we described him as 70% fit committed and 100% committed.
After following him closely amid the brilliant Scarlets chaos ensuing all over the pitch, that figure has been revised down to 60% fit.
We asked Erasmus, again, about Stander’s lack of sharpness – in the post-match press conference – and he backed him to ‘hit his straps’ when he goes on the Lions tour. The South African added:
“I think he’ll be good for the Lions. When we played Saracens, he was only one or two weeks after his injury.
“I think he will hit his straps. If you play him with a lot of superstars – and people don’t focus on you as the main ball-carrier – he’ll get into games. There are so many stars in the Lions squad that the focus will not only be on CJ Stander. There are so many other dangerous players [heading] out there. That will give him some breathing space. I think he’ll have an awesome tour like Peter and Conor will have.”
The British & Irish Lions are down Billy Vunipola after he succumbed to a shoulder injury. They desperately need Stander as a No.8 option, as desperately as Stander himself could do with a month off. He’s not going to get it.
Were this any other summer, Stander would be stood down from action. His ankle would be given time to recover, as well as the rest of his battered body.
This is a Lions summer, though, and the tour starts next flipping Saturday. Stander is required on a flight [two, actually] to New Zealand on Monday. He may wear that red 8 jersey but one has to wonder how far off his best he really will be.
It was no surprise to see Stander as the last man to get up to the podium to collect his losers’ medal. He was carrying each and every knock with each and every strained step.
Along with the departing Donnacha Ryan, he got the loudest cheer.
He has played himself to a stump and he is not even close to being done yet for the season.
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