According to reports in various newspapers, CJ Stander is heading to Munster, after the Currie Cup of 2012. The promising Bulls loose forward, and former Junior Bok captain, has decided not to renew his contract with the Bulls. CEO of the Bulls, Barend van Graan, admitted, that they simply couldn’t match the Munster offer.
The Volksblad reports, thatBoks, Wynand Olivier and Ryan Kankowski are set to further their careers in Japan, after the Super 15. Olivier has signed for two years, and negotiations are in process regarding future participation in Super Rugby.
Kankowski only signed for 6 months, and rumour has it, that his relationship with coach Plumtree, has soured, and this motivated his decision. It is unclear how this effects their possible participation in the Rugby Championship of 2012.
When the news broke of Cheetahs players, Johnson, van der Westhuizen, and Ebersohn signing overseas contracts, many bloggers speculated about strife in the Cheetahs camp. My reposte was, that it is early days yet. Many more players will leave, and it is simply an economic decision, in most cases.
Most SA Unions cannot match the offers from European, and Japanese clubs.
Of all the players mentioned I think CJ Stander is the biggest loss, yes I know thats maybe predictable as am a Blue Bulls fan, but CJ is still right at the start of his career and has done really well taking his chance which came due to injuries at Bulls. The other 2 are probably nearer the latter parts of their career and as they are playing in Japan they may still come back to SA, sounds like in the case for Wynand that this is what they are trying to negotiate so he is not necessarily lost for good. If CJ really likes it in Ireland will be stay there and try to play for Ireland… although the Irish don’t seem to pick ‘foreigners’ so that may not be an option for him.
Shit, shit, shit… damn it’s a pity that CJ Stander is going!
Arghhhhh!
@ GBS,
Agree Stander is a great prospect to lose.
Do you think there are problems at the Bulls? Pamela Olivier, and CJ all in one foul swoop?
Just kidding, just remembering the blogs after it was announced that the Cheetahs lost Johnson, and vd Westhuizen
@ Bullscot:Agree, CJ is the biggest loss. He is young, and has a long career ahead of him. Hopefully he will come back – a la F Steyn. Kankowski, apart from never really going to break into the big time (my personal feeling), if the rumour that he has had a fall out he has had a fallout is true, his future must be overseas. As for Meisiekind, he has given many years to SA rugby, and love him or hate him, he has done the Bulls and SA proud, and deserves to earn some big bucks in the twilight of his career.
3@ grootblousmile:
Yeah no godd GBS, when I read the news of CJ leaving it came as a big surprise just out of the blue (if you’ll excuse the pun)as they had been no rumours about it and was also not aware that his contract was up for renewal later this year and he was getting lots of game time for someone just really starting out, but as they say :”It’s all ’bout the money”
From Howard Kahn – rugby365:
The loss of young Bulls talent CJ Stander came as quite a shock to the South African rugby fraternity. But is he simply chasing more money in Europe, or is it the lure of playing for Ireland that is driving his decision to head abroad?
Stander, a bright prospect – his CV and 2012 Super Rugby form backing him up, announced on Wednesday that he would be furthering his career at top Irish province, Munster, for the next two years at least.
That means that, after two years, he would be one more season away from qualifying for his adopted country which would, no doubt, put him in the driving seat for a place in Ireland’s 2015 World Cup squad.
The Bulls admitted that they could not match Munster’s monetary offer for Stander – Euros will always trump the Rand – but it would seem obvious that with his Munster deal comes a clearer road to Test rugby… whereas, in South Africa, Stander would face a much tougher battle to break into the big league of Green & Gold rugby.
Yes, Stander could return home after two years, as his Bulls colleague Juandré Kruger did after a stint in England with Northampton, but it is pretty hard seeing the likes of Marcell Coetzee, Jacques Potgieter, Willem Alberts, Pierre Spies, Keegan Daniel, Siya Kolisi or Arno Botha voluntarily making way in the next three years to allow Stander an open door into the Springbok team. (Let’s not forget too that the likes of Schalk Burger, Duane Vermeulen, Nick Koster, Heinrich Brüssow are currently injured or not being selected by Bok coach Heyneke Meyer.)
The threat of losing good, young South African rugby players is not new, however. In 2010, before he became a Springbok, Scotland rugby scouts began sniffing around the Scottish-qualified Pat Lambie. He soon became a Bok, which made him ‘safe’.
Quality South African players with overseas parentage will always be easy targets (Lambie, Barritt, etc), but losing a talented young player like Stander – who has effectively chosen to further his international career elsewhere – is a worry.
Stander could hate life on the Emerald Isle and return home after a few months (as Sharks lock Steven Sykes did recently – from Leinster in Ireland), rendering this column worthless, and, with it, calming down any panic.
He could, however, love life and go on to earn 50-plus caps for Ireland.
Only time will tell…
One way of stopping this from happening is creating a clear, and obvious, SA ‘A’ team – i.e. a Springbok B team, like England do with their Saxons team – which would ‘cap’ the next tier of SA players and could prevent them from taking up offers like Stander’s. Let’s make it clear, it’s not a worry that Stander is heading abroad; the big worry is that he could be heading abroad with an eye to qualifying for another Test nation.
After all, whilst Stander did not make the actual Springbok squad against England, remember that he was part of a six-man squad – identified by Meyer as future Boks – which has been training alongside the senior squad during the SA-England series. (He was joined by Siya Kolisi, Arno Botha, Frans Malherbe, Francois Venter and Piet van Zyl in the squad.)
The Northern and Southern Barbarians teams which played against two England midweek teams did little test the tourists but also proved just how valuable an ‘A-Series’ would be, either at home to touring sides or on a separate tour altogether, not only to test the next tier of SA players, but also to ensure that SA has another way to hang onto its vast rugby talent.
4@ Cheetah4eva:
Unfortunately for Cheetahs don’t forget you can add to that list WP Nel who is coming to Edinburgh, and I think George Earle also UK bound, and also that rooikop looseforward (who was apparrently developing very well can’t remember the name) who is not long gone, this is the tough reality of rugby being a profession for these guys. But at least it should be seen as a means of widening our playing pool by giving these guys exposure to rugby at high level and then the young guns who fill their places also get to play at a higher level soon than they would have if the others didn’t leave.
Ha Cheetah think we need to give you a BIG wooden spoon for stirring
7@ Just For Kicks:
Yeah JFK its a pity for Bulls and SA Rugby, wonder how far away he was from Mr Meyers Bok squad. That angle about possible Irish qualification is one I raised in reply to Bdb’s post last night. They don’t seem to pick ‘foreigners’ that often in Ireland for the national team so at the moment unless CJ says so himself I guess its all just speculation.
@ Bullscot,
He He, all in good fun. Yes, it is the reality. Are you refering to Johan Wessels? I know he is of to France. Hope it isn’t young Phillip vd Walt lol. George Porgie was a Griquas player, but jip, a loss for the Cheetahs S15 team.
We have learn’t to cope with the player exodus at the Cheetahs. Losing 6 or so, is considered a “good year” lol
Guys, sorry I’m not responding too much at the moment… hopping busy since my return from Slaapstad, hopefully more available tonight after 19:00 and tomorrow quite a bit.
Freegin hell, my appointments are one after the other today, the last 3 at 17:00, 18:00 and 18:30 tonight here at my office.
Now off I go to a exchange the glasses I bought yesterday (faulty), then a kichen cupboards place, then the Hardware place, then a client… then have to rush back to the office for those 3 later appointments.
Cutting the time really fine…. seconds are valuable at the moment… hehehe
7@ Just For Kicks:
World Cup 2015 starts on the 18th of September and ends on the 31st October 2015, so if its been reported correctly that he is only set to start at Munster on the 1st of November this year then CJ will not have been there for long enough (3 years) to be considered for the Irish team for the next World Cup… unless of course he gets an early release from his contract at the Bulls.
12@ Bullscot:We’ll make a detective out of you yet!!!
13@ bean1:
Hello bean that sounds good, maybe need a bit more practice still though 🙂 By the way there is a quiz type question that I posted in 2nd comment on article about Scotland team to play Samoa, no one has answered it yet but I’m sure you will be able to
14@ Bullscot:Milgowie, I think
10@ Cheetah4eva:
Yes it may be Johan Wessels, but the name I initially typed then deleted because wasn’t sure I remembered correctly was the other one you mention Phillip v/d Walt, is he not going or gone, maybe got that one wrong and have just started a rumour, you’re closer to the action can you maybe confirm that one?
15@ bean1:
Almost there, well not quite, got the first 3 syllables sounding right just the rest out, clue its a lot shorter than that, lets see if anyone else comes up with the correct pronunciation of the town named MILGAVNIE, which by the way is not far from Glasgow.
17@ Bullscot:
It’s Milguy – blond moment
17@ Bullscot:
I used to go past it on the train to Glasgow from home
17@ bean1:
Gosh its a small world, someone who works with me lives there so thats the only reason I knew how to pronounce it, many of these towns are not pronounced the may they you would think they are from their spelling, did you work in Glasgow, where abouts was your home? Another town thats pronounced differently is Alford, you say it with a silent l and as if its spelt with two f’s
and 18- Congratulations bean you got it right
20@ Bullscot:
I grew up near Stranraer in the SW of Scotland – was at school in Edinburgh but had to go to Glasgow to get there! One of my friends lived at Culzean (pronounced culain)and another goodie is Hawick (pronounced hoik). Then there’s Colquhoun (cahoon)Oh and although not in Scotland Cholmondeley (chumley) must be one of the best!
21@ bean1:
Ok, that would have been some journey to make on a regular basis, never been to Stranraer but know the ferry to Belfast went from there, not sure if the ferry running from Port Ryan know has taken the place of the Stranraer one or is in addition to it, would think the town’s business would be affected quite a bit if the ferry didn’t run from there anymore. Oh yes Hoik part of the Borders supposed home of Scottish rugby. Haven’t been myself but think there is a fantastic castle in Culzean. The list of these places must be quite long, another one which comes to mind is Garioch which is pronounced Geerree, with the g same way as in guy and rolling rr’s
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