MUNSTER BACK ROW CJ Stander is looking forward to playing with Joey Carbery in red as well as green in the coming seasons.
The international playmaker confirmed a move from European champions Leinster to their rivals in the southern province today, and the addition of the 22-year-old is one which Stander hopes can push Munster beyond the semi-final stage which proved Munster’s undoing this season.
Having been part of an error-strewn Champions Cup semi-final loss to Racing 92 in Bordeaux, Stander is keen to see how Munster fare with some of Carbery’s inimitable grace under pressure.
Almost two years on from the Athy man’s international debut, his role in Ireland’s win over New Zealand remains a key example of his pedigree for his peers.
“To have Joey coming in is great news,” said Stander in Carton House today, scarcely a minute after the IRFU tweeted confirmation of the move.
“The first time I played with Joey was against New Zealand in Chicago. A young guy coming into a game that was in the balance and he was just calm.
“He kept his head, kicked well, he was calm and collected and he knows what he’s doing. That’s something we can use to our advantage and it’s great to have someone of that calibre coming into the squad.”
In welcoming Carbery to the fold, Stander couldn’t help touch on the depth Munster now have in the out-half role. Munster hope to have Tyler Bleyendaal back fit for next season, and with JJ Hanrahan and Ian Keatley pulling the strings this season Munster will have four 10s who also have the versatility to switch to fullback. Then there’s academy graduate Bill Johnston, who recently signed a two-year contract.
“He’s a great player. I think he’s just going to make the competition (greater) for lads in the 10 position,” says Stander.
We’ve four good 10s at the moment (before Carbery arrives), we have Tyler coming back, so it’s going to be some good competition and it’s going to push us on as players to play better.”
Stander stresses that a new out-half alone is not going to end Munster’s run of European semi-final heartbreaks. The pack must work harder to lay a platform for playmakers to have an impact.
“The other players need to make it easier for the rest of the lads to make those decisions. In the semi-finals one or two things didn’t go our way, especially against Leinster.
“Someone coming like that is going to push us on. He has already played in two finals and he won them. So he’s surely going to bring some experience.”
Experience and talent are not the only ingredients a province requires when welcoming a new recruit, however. The protracted nature of the Carbery saga signaled that the player would have been content to remain in his native province – and after winning a double why wouldn’t he? – but to succeed in a new environment, a complete buy-in is required.
Together with Keatley, Andrew Conway, Tadhg Beirne and Chris Farrell, there is no shortage of templates for Carbery to follow when it comes time to settling in a new province.
“The thing down in Munster is: if you work hard and you give everything everyday on the training pitch and show the supporters you want to be there, that you want to push Munster on and leave the jersey in a better place, then they’re going to welcome you with open arms.”
