MUNSTER FLANKER BILLY Holland has backed his team-mate CJ Stander to succeed at international level having seen just how much the 25-year old has developed during his time with the province.
Stander was yesterday called up to Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad for the opening two rounds of this year’s Six Nations and Holland says the South-African born back-row has come a long way since he first arrived in Ireland.
“When he came to Munster a couple of years ago, he could hardly speak English.” Holland said.
“He had a night out in Cork, when he came first. We lost him or he lost himself, he didn’t know where he was staying. All he could say…he couldn’t even say it actually, he called the guide dogs the blind dogs, the house was near there.
“So where he’s come to in those couple of years is phenomenal.”
Like all good players, however, Stander was able to break down most of the language barriers on the field of play.
“CJ does most of his talking on the pitch, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he carries so well for us, I’d love to see him get an opportunity for Ireland during the Six Nations to show what he can do at the international level, he’s definitely good enough, what he’s brought to his game in the last couple of months is he speaks very well to us, he speaks emotionally before games.
“The actions have never changed, and that’s why he’s in front of you every week because there’s no questioning that.”
While Holland says it’s great to see his provincial team-mates getting an international call-up, it does put extra pressure on those left in camp to perform in their absence.
“If you have a big contingent at the national camp, it means you’re going well as a squad, you know Leinster over the last few years have been going very well and they’d have the majority of the [Ireland] squad which you can’t have any qualms about.
“You have to play well for your province before you play for Ireland. Your province has to play well, to achieve something, and then the next step will happen. So if we have a lot of guys at national camp, it means Munster are going well.
“(Players being absent) is something I’d be conscious of the whole time. When we were losing throughout December and if I wasn’t involved or on the bench I would have felt a massive onus on me even if I wasn’t there – I’ve been involved in the squad for quite a while – I would have felt partially responsible as a leader within the group even if I wasn’t on the pitch.
“That’s the way it works you can’t get the glory when you’re there and push it to the side when you are not there.”
Additional reporting from Murray Kinsella.
