Video: Stander & Parisse Head-To-Head

As CJ Stander and Sergio Parisse prepare to do battle for the second time in as many weeks, we compare the Munster and Stade Francais captains – two of European rugby’s in-form number 8s this season.

CJ Stander
A former South Africa Schools and U20 captain who also led the Blue Bulls at U19 and U21 level, CJ Stander joined Munster from the Bulls Super XV side in October 2012 and his impact was soon noticeable, scoring two tries on his first start against Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park the following December.  Making his Heineken Cup debut against Edinburgh in Murrayfield in October 2013, Season 2014/15 would mark the number 8’s breakthrough as a household name within the province.  A blistering start to the season saw him score three tries in the opening two games and pick up four man of the match awards by January – a knee injury halting his dominance.   However the powerhouse continued where he left off on his return from injury, going on to win a total of seven man of the match awards in ‘14/’15 and was named the 2015 Munster Rugby Player of the Year last April. 

Recently taking over the Munster captaincy in the absence of the injured Peter O’Mahony, Stander has played more minutes than any other squad member this season, accumulating 1045 minutes of rugby in 14 appearances – Munster's away loss to Dragons earlier this month the only game that has not featured the stand-in captain.  The South African is also out in front when it comes to scoring tries – so far Stander has dotted down four times for the province and, now Irish eligible, the 25 year old’s excellent form was rewarded when he was included in his first Ireland squad training camp earlier this month.
 
Sergio Parisse
Talismanic Stade Français captain Sergio Parisse has been one of the top players in world rugby for many years with the 32-year-old Italian back-row forward showing no signs of slowing down. Born in Argentina to Italian parents – Parisse’s father won an Italian Rugby Championship in the 1960’s – he moved to Europe at the age of 17 with Benetton Treviso his first port of call. He was capped by Italy at the age of just 18 in a 64–10 defeat against New Zealand in Hamilton in June 2002 and is now Italy’s record appearance holder with 112 caps, 61 as captain. The 6ft 5in number 8 spent two seasons in the senior setup at Treviso between 2003 and 2005, before his obvious talents were spotted by French kingpins Stade and this is his 11th campaign in Paris. Parisse was a driving force in Stade’s win over Munster last week with his athleticism, strong ball-carrying and leadership skills helping his side to a vital win. He has scored one try in three Champions Cup appearances this season, against former club Treviso in Italy.