Some people may not agree with the idea of project players, but there is no doubt that CJ Stander has completely bought into his new country. Stander completely immersed himself into the Munster culture from the start - and even when he wasn't getting gametime under Rob Penney, he never complained and kept plugging away.

Since being afforded an opportunity, he's claimed the CJ Stander man of the match award in what seems like every time he appears on the pitch. The former South Africa Under-20 captain has now been called into the Ireland squad at the first opportunity after qualifying through residency and is extremely excited.

We already knew how badly he wanted to make his debut for his new country when talking about the anxiety he felt when waiting for a call-up, and now that he's in the squad he wants to play. In fact, he's taken a leaf out of fellow South African born Irish international Richardt Strauss when it comes to his debut.

Richardt Strauss achieved cult hero status when he began singing Amhrán na bhFiann at his Ireland debut against South Africa in 2012. CJ Stander revealed today that he is attempting to learn the words to the Irish language for the anthem:

My wife has brought up the anthem on Youtube, there's a clip with the words there added. Donnacha Ryan's fluent, so he's been helping me with the words. So we'll see how good his teaching has been if the chance comes up!

It's something that will further endear Stander to Irish fan's hearts, and it's clear that Stander is extremely passionate about his new country:


I can't even describe it; it's something I'm very passionate about and something I've worked very hard for

[RTE]

Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE