South African-born CJ Stander says best time of life was spent in Limerick

SOUTH African-born former Irish rugby international has said the best part of his life was when he was living in Limerick.

As Ireland gears up to take on South Africa in the Rugby World Cup later today, the former Munster Rugby star once again proved his allegiance to Ireland.

"I know where my origin is. Look, I'm South African and I was born here and I'm back here, but the best part of my life so far was in Limerick and in Ireland,” CJ Stander told Balls.ie.

CJ spent a good portion of his Munster Rugby career residing in Castleconnell, a place he remembers fondly.

Stander is originally from Riversdale, a South African town situated in the south of the country with a population of approximately 16,000.

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His career began playing for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup before playing for the Vodacom Bulls in Super Rugby. The Vodacom Bulls now play in the United Rugby Championship.

He moved to Ireland in 2012 to play for Munster Rugby and began his career with Ireland in 2015 when he qualified for residency.

There have been questions of Stander's loyalties over the years as he hails from a rugby-dominant country who are ranked second in the world (behind Ireland) but the former Ireland number eight has shown his unwavering support for the boys in green.

The 33-year-old is firmly backing Ireland against his home nation in tonight’s clash.

Ireland take on South Africa in what is sure to be one of the stand-out pool matches in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Kick-off is at 8pm with live coverage from RTÉ.