IRELAND back row star CJ Stander has announced his shock retirement from rugby at the end of the season. I got in my car drove to Cape Town or wherever. It is fertile ground, with the Outeniqua mountains on one side and fresh breezes from the nearby Indian Ocean on the other. Stander, who has amassed his 51 caps for Ireland at Test level, announced his shock decision to retire from the sport earlier this week at the age of 31. It was very difficult for me to see him go. Sport. Read about our approach to external linking. "Your impact on my personal and professional life remains as tangible today as it was when you were still with us," Stander said of Foley. Citing family reasons as the driver behind the decision CJ is in the fortunate position to retire from rugby on his own terms. It's a sentiment one cannot fully comprehend until that day arrives. The last time I saw snow was in 1972 in South Africa when I was a child. Niall O’Donovan, the team manager, taught me how to drink it. “I hope God will save him and that he can play in the World Cup and then in three years he will come here with the Lions to South Africa. They get all the Munster and Ireland matches on television, friends and neighbours come in and the huge braai (BBQ) is lit with timber from the farm and then all sorts of meats, a lot of it hunted, are cooked. Jannie, a huge man who, remarkably for his size, was a winger, while CJ’s mum Amanda is a former 400m champion athlete, with rugby going back several generations in both families. CJ Stander surrounded by both sets of fans Southern Kings played Munster at Outeniqua Park, George, in April 2018. It's a sentiment one cannot fully comprehend until that day arrives. Munster and Ireland matches are big occasions around the rambling farmhouse which is pocketed at every corner with photos of the two sons and their rugby exploits. "In 2012, arriving as a 22-year-old who only had two kitbags flung over his shoulders and a limited command of English, I had to commit myself to a new family who immediately adopted me as one of their own.". The back row admitted that a "freezing training session" near the end of last year told him he "had entered the final stretch of my career". They laugh about a joke, they drink beer and they are lovely people. But when I arrived in Ireland it felt like home because you see the cattle and sheep. "I asked myself whether I was still enjoying this enough to earn the continued support of Munster and Ireland and to justify the sacrifices my family was making. I wouldn't change a thing.". That’s the way they do it. In the best Irish performance for some time, Stander signed off in green on a massive high with a 38-18 victory over the old enemy in Dublin. Cj Stander is on Facebook. It doesn’t take long to work out how CJ Stander is so grounded when you spend time in the company of his family outside George in the Western Cape. There was just one problem, I see sheep with a blue stripe on his back and other has yellow, other one is red. The South African born Munster man will play out his Munster contract and complete the mid-year Test window. CJ STANDER has shockingly announced that he will retire from rugby at the end of the season. Tribute to Munster and Irish international flanker and number eight Christian Johaan Stander. CJ Stander. Ireland and Munster back-row CJ Stander has announced he will retire from all forms of rugby at the end of the season. Ireland international flanker CJ Stander has just announced his retirement, releasing an open letter via the IRFU. Early in the morning of game I send him a WhatsApp and then later on we talk. CJ Stander was left in tears after the curtain came down on his Ireland career in sensational style with win over England. I said to CJ he must stay in Ireland if he can. CJ Stander's wife, Jean-Marié has paid tribute to her husband following his final rugby match. CJ Stander surrounded by both sets of fans Southern Kings played Munster at Outeniqua Park, ... “I came home from church on Sunday after the Toulon match and watched it again.” Munster had gone to South Africa looking at a winger but came home with a player who is probably the best import of the professional era when it’s taken into account what he has contributed to province and country. He was always a goer.”, Workers on the Stander farm. Ireland back-row CJ Stander has become an integral part of the national squad since making his debut in 2016. Having retired following his world title defeat by Jamel Herring, BBC Sport looks back at some of the best nights of Carl Frampton's career. Stander stunned the rugby world by announcing plans to hang up his boots in the summer. "From a performance perspective, the answer was yes. CJ Stander. “We sit down here to watch the matches, I watch all of them,” added Jannie. “He did good for himself and we are proud of him. Dad Jannie has always been a Blue Bulls supporter, even though they are 1,300kms away in Pretoria, so it was a particularly proud moment when CJ was accepted into the academy there after his education at Blanco primary school in George and Oakdale Agricultural High School a short distance away in Riversdale. He gets this from me (punching one hand hard into the other!). When the Blue Bulls didn’t think he was good enough for rugby, it was Ireland who gave him the chance. CJ Stander has announced he will retire from rugby in June. Ireland and Munster No.8 CJ Stander has announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the season. Aquí nos gustaría mostrarte una descripción, pero el sitio web que estás mirando no lo permite. “CJ built himself up when he was young,” said his dad Jannie. A view of CJ Stander memorabilia in his parent's home. CJ Stander said he arrived at the decision to retire from all rugby during Ireland's Covid-19 lockdown and plans to return home to his native South Africa. They had never heard of Munster until CJ decided it was the best place to head after the Bulls’ rejection. “We had to give Munster an answer at 5pm that day but we did it the next afternoon at 2pm. It’s beautiful there.”. “We have friends over, have a braai and drink and enjoy the matches. “I had never heard of Munster until CJ went there, I knew little about the country. Report Conan Try Steers Clinical Leinster To Four-In-A-Row. There’s a lot more to find out about the Munster No 8 too… Ten things you should know about CJ Stander And they like their food, I love Irish cheese. “I came home from church on Sunday after the Toulon match and watched it again.” CJ and Jean Marie’s home in Castleconell in Limerick has become an extension of their own home — food parcels go back and forth on a regular basis! “But we are delighted for him. Paying tribute to Van Graan and his Ireland coaches Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell as well as team-mates, Stander's statement included a "special word" of thanks to late Munster coach Anthony Foley who died suddenly in October 2016 on a day when the Irish province were scheduled to face Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup. CJ Stander earned a cap for the Lions in 2017. “We had to load bags in the truck, 20-30kg bags and he would just keep going all day. The Munster and Ireland player released a touching statement on Tuesday morning, where he paid tribute to … “He told me Limerick is his home place and I’m delighted for him and Jean Marie, they are good for each other, they are good friends and they support each other. The South Africa-born player has been a superb for … “We went to Australia and Tasmania and Argentina before. outstanding team of sports writers, Select your favourite newsletters and get the best of Irish Examiner delivered to your inbox. When they were playing for the schools I was at each game. View the profiles of people named Cj Stander. Heyneke wanted to make CJ a hooker. 124.2k Followers, 420 Following, 165 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from CJ Stander (@cjstander) We keep in touch and it doesn’t matter how late or when it is. 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