WATCH: CJ Stander hopes to make amends for Munster’s poor showing over the Christmas period

CJ Stander spent last week attempting to overcome an illness that had struck he and some of his teammates down over the Christmas period. A huge second half come back by Ulster at Ravenhill which saw them overturn a 17-point deficit and secure a bonus point win over Munster will not have helped to lift the spirits of the poorly South African.

“We were disappointed the past few weeks, especially when you go into inter-pros and you want to win all of them. You want to perform well so that you get selected into the Irish team, and you don’t get the results, the last few weeks we played two (contrasting) halves and it’s something we need to fix going into the next few games.”

Stander captained Munster for Connacht’s visit to Thomond Park in November, 2015, where he saw his side fall to a first defeat in Limerick since 1986 against the westerners.

The number 8 is determined to make sure that there will be a different outcome this Saturday.

“It’s a team that pitches up at Thomond Park and have no fear, they know they can beat us here. We need to look deep into ourselves and perform well at the weekend to make sure that we get a result.”