Youth rugby Stander went to
Blanco Primary School, where he began playing rugby at the age of nine, playing as a
fly-half. He then went to Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale
(Oakdale Agricultural High School), where he shifted into the
number eight position at the age of 14. He earned provincial colours for three consecutive years, representing the at youth tournaments. In 2006, he played for them at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week held in
Wellington, Western Cape. He started all three of their matches at the tournament, helping them to two victories and a draw. Despite still being in the Under-17 age group in 2006, Stander was named captain of the SWD team for the premier high schools rugby union tournament in South Africa, the Under-18
Craven Week, held in
Stellenbosch. He led from the front, scoring two tries against the , one try against
KwaZulu-Natal and a
hat-trick in their final match against the to finish as the tournament's top try scorer. His performances caught the attention of the national team selectors, and Stander was named in and appointed captain of the
South Africa Schools Academy side, playing the full 80 minutes in a 15–50 defeat to the more senior South Africa Schools side. Stander was again named captain of SWD for the 2008
Craven Week, which was held at
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in
Pretoria. He helped them to a 26–21 victory over hosts the in their first match, before scoring two tries in a 30–13 victory over the in their second match and one try in a 31–25 victory against the Free State in the main match of the tournament, as SWD was crowned the unofficial champions for the first time since 2001. At the conclusion of the tournament, Stander was named in the
South Africa Schools squad, but ended on the wrong side of a shock result as the secondary Schools Academy side beat them 41–19 in a match played in
Durban.
Bulls / Blue Bulls 2009 After high school, Stander moved to
Pretoria to join the academy of
Currie Cup side the for the 2009 season onwards. Before he experienced any game-time in a Blue Bulls jersey, however, he was named in the
South Africa Under-20 team to compete at the
2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Japan. He started all of their matches in the number eight jersey; he scored his country's first try of the tournament in a 36–10 victory against
Fiji in the opening match, before helping them two further victories in Pool C, beating
Italy 65–3 and
France 43–27. Despite scoring his second try of the tournament in their semi-final match against
England, he could not help them reach the final, losing the match 21–40. The team eventually finished third in the tournament, winning their final match of the tournament 32–5 against fellow beaten semi-finalists
Australia. He initially found himself fast-tracked into their Under-21 team, starting their first four matches in the Under-21 Provincial Championship, before then reverting to the Under-19 team. He scored two tries against in his first match at that level, as he helped the team qualify for the semi-finals by winning all six of their matches to top the log. Despite making two further appearances for the Under-21s and scoring a try for them against the Leopards, he represented the Under-19s in the play-offs, but the team failed to get past their trans-
Jukskei rivals the at the semi-final stage.
2010 At the start of 2010, Stander was included in the squad for the
2010 Vodacom Cup, and – after being an unused replacement in the team's 27–22 victory over the – made his debut in their 50–7 victory over the in
Kempton Park in Round Five of the competition, coming on in the 63rd minute of the match. However, that turned out to be his only involvement in the competition, as he once again linked up with the
South Africa Under-20 team, being named as captain for the team due to compete in the
2010 IRB Junior World Championship. For the second
Junior World Championship in a row, Stander scored a try in South Africa's opening match, as they secured 40–14 win over
Tonga in their first match. He captained them to a 73–0 victory over
Scotland, before being involved in South Africa's first ever defeat in a pool match at the Junior World Championships, as they lost 35–42 to
Australia. Despite the result, South Africa qualified for the semi-finals as the best pool runner-up, but lost again at that stage against eventual champions
New Zealand. Stander started his fifth match of the competition in his side's 27–22 victory over
England in the third-place play-off to emulate their 2009 finish. Stander returned to domestic rugby for the Blue Bulls by featuring in a
compulsory friendly match against the . He was catapulted into their senior squad for the
2010 Currie Cup Premier Division and made his
Currie Cup debut on 9 July 2010 – aged – coming on as a replacement in their 38–15 victory over the . He made appearances off the bench in their next six matches before making his first Currie Cup start in a 39–38 victory over in their Round Seven match. He made a further four starts and two appearances as a replacement, but with players like
Danie Rossouw returning from international duty, dropped back into the team. He made one start for them during the
Under-21 Provincial Championship regular season, scoring a try in their 41–36 victory over . The team finished second on the log to qualify for the semi-finals, and Stander started both their 39–35 victory over the s in the semi-final and the final, which Stander's team lost 32–43 to .
2011 After his single appearance in the
Vodacom Cup in 2010, Stander saw more action in that competition in
2011. He took part in all of the Blue Bulls' eleven matches in the competition, making six starts and coming on as a replacement in the other five. He started off the season by scoring a try in their opening match against a , but failed to get on the scoreboard again for the remainder of the regular season, as the Blue Bulls won just three of their eight matches, but still finished in fourth place in the Northern Section to secure the final quarter final place. He started their quarter final match, which ended in a 28–26 victory over the , and appeared as a replacement in against in the semi-final, scoring his team's final try in a 47–34 win. He played in the final against the , but could not prevent the
Argentine invitational side from winning 14–9 to be crowned champions for the first time. Stander again featured in a
compulsory friendly match prior to the
2011 Currie Cup, scoring two tries in a 50–19 victory over the in
Welkom. After playing off the bench in their first three matches of the Currie Cup season, he then made the number eight jersey his own, being named in the run-on side for all of their remaining matches. He contributed six tries to the team's cause – against the in
Potchefstroom, against the , , the and two tries in their final match of the regular season, a 92–21 victory over the Leopards in Pretoria. However, the Blue Bulls endured a poor season and failed to qualify for the semi-finals, finishing in fifth spot on the log. With Stander only 21, he dropped to Under-21 and started for them in their two play-off matches in the
Under-21 Provincial Championship; he scored a try in a 47–18 victory over the s in the semi-finals, and a second in a 46–30 victory over the s in the final, to secure his first silverware since joining the Blue Bulls.
2012 At the start of
2012, Stander was included in the squad for the first time; they are the
Super Rugby franchise affiliated to the provincial team. He made his Super Rugby debut on 24 February 2012 in an 18–13 victory in their opening match of the season against the . After a second appearance off the bench against the a week later, Stander made his first start in the competition in a home defeat to New Zealand side the . With
Dewald Potgieter and
Deon Stegmann missing the majority of the season through injury, Stander firmly established himself in the side and started a further ten matches in a row. He scored his first Super Rugby try in his second start, a 61–8 victory over Australian side the and further tries against the , and . With the Bulls' first-choice flankers all returning from injury for the final three matches of the regular season, Stander dropped to the bench for those matches, as the Bulls secured a place in the play-offs by finishing fifth overall. He dropped out of the matchday squad altogether for their
qualifier match against the , where a 13–28 defeat ended the Bulls' interest in the competition. Despite a call-up to train with the
South Africa national team as they prepared for the
2012 Rugby Championship, Stander was not included in their final squad and instead continued to represent the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. Although his
move to Munster was already announced, Stander still featured in all eleven of their matches in the competition. He scored two tries in his first start in the competition against the , and more tries against the , and their return match against the Free State Cheetahs. The team finished in fourth place on the log and Stander's final match in a Blue Bulls jersey was their 3–20 defeat to the Sharks in the semi-finals.
Munster 2012–13 In June 2012, Stander signed a deal to join Irish province
Munster on a two-year contract at the end of the
2012 Currie Cup Premier Division season. He later revealed that one of the reasons for his move was that he was considered to be too small to be a South Africa international. Left with the options of leaving the country or switching to
hooker, Stander recalls "I just made the decision easy and said, 'Well boys, I'll pack up my stuff and leave'. Munster signed me and they didn't think I was too small." As Munster could not sign any more internationally capped players, he was signed as a project player. This meant that Stander would be eligible to play for
Ireland under
World Rugby residency laws if he stayed with Munster for three years. He arrived in Ireland to join up with the Munster squad on 30 October 2012. Five days after arriving in Ireland, Stander went on a night out in
Cork with his new teammates, but ended up almost sleeping on the streets after ending up alone outside of a bar. Stander, with very limited English, was denied entry by the doorman and, not knowing any of his teammates phone numbers and very little money on his person, found himself lost. Fortunately, Stander recalled that one of his new teammates,
Barry O'Mahony lived near the a guide dogs facility in Cork, and was able to get a taxi to his home. He made his first start for Munster against
Glasgow Warriors in
Thomond Park on 1 December 2012, scoring two tries in a
Man-of-the-Match winning performance. Stander was ruled out for a month after breaking a bone in his hand during the Glasgow game. He made his comeback from the injury on 5 January 2013, in a
Pro12 game against
Cardiff Blues in
Musgrave Park. As he was ineligible to represent Munster in the
Heineken Cup, Stander instead turned out for
Munster A in the
British and Irish Cup, playing at
Number 8 against
Aberavon and
Plymouth Albion, scoring a try against the latter. Stander scored his third try in just four appearances for Munster on 9 February 2013, when he made his second start for the club against
Edinburgh. Stander revealed in 2020 that he arrived at Munster unable to speak English, and it was two or three years before he was confident enough to speak up during training or meetings.
2013–14 Stander scored his first try in his second season at Munster during an uncapped pre-season friendly against
Gloucester on 24 August 2013. He scored two tries in his first full appearance of the season, against
Zebre, on 13 September 2013. Stander made his
Heineken Cup debut on 12 October 2013, coming off the bench against
Edinburgh in Munster's opening pool game. He came off the bench against
Gloucester during Munster's 26–10 victory on 19 October 2013. Stander was also a replacement during Munster's 36–8 win against
Perpignan on 8 December 2013. He came off the bench in the 20–7 away win against
Gloucester on 11 January 2013, a win that secured quarter-final qualification. In January 2014, Stander signed a new two-year contract with Munster. Stander scored his seventh try for Munster in a
Pro14 fixture against
Cardiff Blues on 8 February 2014. He came on as a replacement after 18 minutes for injured captain
Peter O'Mahony in Munster's Heineken Cup quarter-final against
Toulouse on 5 April 2014, scoring his first Heineken Cup try in the 47–23 win and earning the Man-of-the-Match award. Stander started in Munster's 24–16 semi-final defeat to
Toulon on 27 April 2014.
2014–15 Stander scored two tries in Munster's 14–13 defeat against Edinburgh in their opening Pro12 game on 5 September 2014. He also scored a try in Munster's win against
Benetton on 12 September 2014. Stander started in Munster's first
2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup game against
Sale Sharks on 18 October 2014, earning the Man-of-the-Match award in the 27–26 away win. He started against
Saracens in Round 2 of the Champions Cup on 24 October 2014. Stander started the Round 3 game against
Clermont Auvergne on 6 December 2014. He also started in the reverse fixture against Clermont on 14 December 2014. Stander scored a try and won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 28–13 win against
Leinster on 26 December 2014. He also scored a try in the 31–7 away win against
Zebre on 10 January 2015, again winning the Man-of-the-Match award. Stander started against Saracens on 17 January 2015, but went off with an injured ankle in the first-half. The injury ruled Stander out for 4 to 6 weeks. He returned from the injury on 21 February 2015, starting in the game against
Scarlets. Stander scored a try in Munster's 22–10 win against
Glasgow Warriors on 28 February 2015. He won his fifth Man-of-the-Match award of the season in Munster's 42–20 win against
Connacht on 28 March 2015. Stander scored a try in Munster's 34–3 win against
Edinburgh on 11 April 2015. He won the 2015 Munster Rugby Senior Player of the Year Award in April 2015, becoming the first overseas player to do so. He scored a try in the 30–19 win against Treviso on 25 April 2015. Stander won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 23–23 draw against
Ulster on 9 May 2015. He was named in the
2014–15 Pro12 Dream Team, alongside teammate
Tommy O'Donnell. He scored a try in Munster's 50–27 win against
Dragons on 16 May 2015. Stander was named Man-of-the-Match in Munster's 21–18 play-off semi-final win against
Ospreys on 23 May 2015. He started in the
2015 Pro12 Grand Final against
Glasgow Warriors on 30 May 2015.
2015–16 Stander captained Munster in their opening fixture of the
2015–16 Pro12 against
Benetton on 5 September 2015, scoring two tries and earning the Man-of-the-Match award in the 18–13 win for Munster. He came off the bench against
Ospreys on 13 September 2015, scoring a try that leveled the scores and allowed
Ian Keatley to kick the conversion that won the match for Munster. On 30 October 2015, Stander captained Munster in their 32–38 win against provincial rivals
Ulster. On 4 November 2015, it was announced that, in the absence of regular captain
Peter O'Mahony, Stander would captain Munster during the pool stage of the
2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. He started the opening pool game of the tournament against
Benetton on 14 November 2015, scoring a try and earning the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 32–7 win. In December 2015, Stander signed a two-year contract extension with Munster, which will see him remain with the province until at least June 2018. Stander started against
Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup on 12 December 2015. On 16 January 2016, Stander scored a try and won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 26–13 win against
Stade Français. On 25 March 2016, immediately after returning from international duty with Ireland, Stander scored a try in Munster's 47–0 win against
Zebre. In May 2016, Stander won the
Rugby Players Ireland ''Players' Player of the Year
Award, just the third overseas player to do so. He also won the Irish Times-sponsored Supporters' Player of the Year'' Award, becoming the first overseas winner of the award and the first player to win both the Players' and Supporters' awards in the same season. On 7 May 2016, Stander scored a try and won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 31–15 win against
Scarlets, a win which secured Champions Cup rugby for the following season. Stander was named in the 2015–16 Pro12 Dream Team, the second consecutive season he has achieved the accolade. In May 2016, Stander was named the Munster Player of the Year, becoming the first player to win the award in successive seasons. During the season, Stander won a total of four Man-of-the-Match awards, scored seven tries and captained Munster in 18 games.
2016–17 On 1 October 2016, Stander scored two tries in Munster's 49–5 win against
Zebre in a
2016–17 Pro12 fixture. In Munster's game against
Glasgow Warriors on 22 October 2016, their first since the sudden death of then-Head Coach
Anthony Foley on 16 October, the number 8 jersey was retired for the occasion, as a tribute to Foley, and Stander wore the number 24 instead. After the game, which Munster won 38–16, Stander brought Foley's sons, Tony and Dan, onto the Thomond Park pitch and, with the rest of the Munster squad and staff, as well as the crowd, they sang
Stand Up And Fight. On 29 November 2016, Stander was named the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year at an event in
Dublin. On 10 December 2016, Stander was Man-of-the-Match in Munster's 38–0 win against
Leicester Tigers in Round 3 of the
2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup. On 7 January 2017, Stander scored a try and won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 32–7 away win against
Racing 92. On 21 January 2017, Stander won the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 22–10 win against Racing 92, a victory which secured a home quarter-final for Munster in the Champions Cup. On 1 April 2017, Stander scored a try in Munster's 41–16 Champions Cup quarter-final win against
Toulouse, though he left the field injured during the second half. On 22 April 2017, Stander made his return from the ankle injury sustained during Munster's quarter-final, starting in the semi-final against defending champions
Saracens and scoring a try, though it wasn't enough to stop the English side from winning 26–10 in the
Aviva Stadium. In April 2017, Stander was shortlisted for European Player of the Year. On 27 May 2017, Stander started for Munster against Welsh side
Scarlets in the
2017 Pro12 Grand Final.
2017–18 In Munster's
2017–18 Pro14 match against
Leinster on 7 October 2017, Stander earned his 100th cap for the province. He scored Munster's only try in their 25–16 away win against
Leicester Tigers in the
2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup on 17 December 2017. Stander signed a new three-year contract with the
IRFU in December 2017, a deal that will see him remain with Munster until at least June 2021. Stander captained Munster in their 39–22 away win against
Southern Kings on 7 April 2018, scoring a try in the match that was played in
Outeniqua Park in his hometown of
George.
2018–19 Stander scored Munster's second try in their 30–22 defeat at the hands of
Leinster in round 6 of the
2018–19 Pro14 on 6 October 2018. One week later, Stander scored Munster's only try in their 10–10 draw against
Exeter Chiefs in
Sandy Park during the sides' opening
2018–19 Champions Cup pool 2 fixture. He captained Munster in their 26–17 win against
Leinster on 29 December 2018. Stander captained Munster and won the Man-of-the-Match award in their 31–12 win against
Zebre on 23 March 2019.
2019–20 Stander was Man-of-the-Match in Munster's 10–3 win against
Saracens in round 3 of the
2019–20 Champions Cup, and he captained Munster in their 15–6 defeat in the reverse fixture one week later after regular captain
Peter O'Mahony withdrew before kick-off due to injury, also retaining the captaincy in Munster's 19–14 away win against provincial rivals
Connacht in round 8 of the
2019–20 Pro14 on 21 December 2019. He scored two tries in Munster's 33–6 win against
Ospreys in their final pool game of the 2019–20 Champions Cup on 19 January 2020. Stander won the
Player of the Year award for Munster for a record third time is six years, having previously won it during the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons.
2020–21 Stander captained Munster and scored a try in the province's 25–23 away win against
Edinburgh in round two of the
2020–21 Pro14 on 10 October 2020. He scored a try and won the Star-of-the-Match award in Munster's historic comeback 39–31 away win against French side
Clermont in round two of the
2020–21 Champions Cup on 19 December 2020, and earned his 150th cap for Munster in their 13–10 home defeat against
Leinster in round 9 of the Pro14 on 23 January 2021. In a shock announcement in March 2021, Stander confirmed that he would retire from professional rugby at the end of the 2020–21 season, citing family reasons and a desire to retire from the game whilst playing his best rugby. Munster forwards coach
Graham Rowntree spoke of his shock at Stander's announcement, whilst also praising Stander, and Stander's provincial and international teammate
Peter O'Mahony also paid tribute to Stander. Stander started for Munster in the
2021 Pro14 Grand Final against
Leinster on 27 March 2021, in what was his final league appearance for the province. There was to be no fairy tale ending though, as Munster lost 16–6 to their rivals. In his 50th Champions Cup appearance, Stander captained Munster in the absence of the injured
Peter O'Mahony in their 40–33 home defeat against French club
Toulouse in the last 16 of the tournament on 3 April 2021, bringing to an end Munster's 2020–21 and Stander's final European campaign.
Jake White, head coach of the , where Stander began his professional career, tried to persuade Stander to come out of retirement for another season with the Bulls once he'd returned to South Africa; Stander, though flattered by the offer, declined, reiterating that his decision to retire was based on wanting to be near his family. In his final game for the province in
Thomond Park, Stander captained Munster to a 31–27 win against
Cardiff Blues in round 4 of the
Pro14 Rainbow Cup on 28 May 2021. Superficial burns sustained during a fire pit incident caused Stander to be ruled out of Munster's final game of the 2020–21 season, away to Italian side
Zebre, bringing to an end Stander's career with Munster.
Ireland In May 2015, Stander, who qualified for
Ireland by residency on the day after the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final, told Pro12's official website, "I will have to decide [between South Africa and Ireland] but I think I have set my sights on Ireland and I think that is what I'm going to pursue." In January 2016, Stander was called up to Ireland's training squad for the
2016 Six Nations Championship. On 20 January 2016, Stander was named in Ireland's 35-man squad for the 2016 Six Nations. On 7 February 2016, Stander made his debut for Ireland, starting against
Wales in their opening match of the Six Nations and earning the Man-of-the-Match award in 16–16 draw. On 13 February 2016, Stander started against
France in Ireland's second game of the Six Nations. On 12 March 2016, Stander scored his first try for Ireland in their 58–15 win against
Italy. On 25 May 2016, Stander was named in the 32-man Ireland squad to tour his native South Africa in a
3-test series. On 11 June 2016, Stander started in the first test against
South Africa. He was
sent off during the first half for a late hit on
Patrick Lambie, the first red card of his career. In the subsequent disciplinary hearing, Stander was banned for one week. On 26 October 2016, Stander was named in Ireland's squad for the
2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals. On 5 November 2016, Stander started in Ireland's test against
New Zealand at
Soldier Field,
Chicago, scoring a try in a 40–29 win that was Ireland's first ever against the All Blacks. On 23 January 2017, Stander was named in the Ireland squad for the opening two rounds of the
2017 Six Nations Championship. On 11 February 2017, Stander scored a
hat-trick of tries in Ireland's 63–10 win against
Italy in the
Stadio Olimpico,
Rome, earning the Man-of-the-Match award. This was the first hat-trick scored by an Irish back-row since
Brian Robinson's against
Zimbabwe at the
1991 Rugby World Cup. It was also the first hat-trick scored by an Ireland player in the Six Nations since
Brian O'Driscoll's against
Scotland in the
2002 tournament. Furthermore, it was the first hat-trick scored by a
forward in
Six Nations Championship history and the first by a forward since Frenchman
Michel Crauste's in the
1962 Five Nations Championship. Stander's teammate,
Craig Gilroy, also scored a hat-trick in the match, making Ireland the first team since
England in
1914 to have two hat-trick scorers in a Five or Six Nations game. On 18 March 2017, Stander made a late switch to
Number 8 for Ireland when
Jamie Heaslip pulled out of the game against
England during the warm-up. Ireland went on to win the game in the
Aviva Stadium 13–9 and, in doing so, denied England consecutive
Grand Slams in the Six Nations. Following his performances in the tournament, Stander was nominated for the 2017 RBS 6 Nations Player of the Championship award, alongside teammate
Conor Murray. He started in Ireland's wins against
South Africa and
Argentina during the
2017 Autumn Internationals, whilst also featuring off the bench in the win against
Fiji. Stander started four games for Ireland as they won a
Grand Slam in the
2018 Six Nations Championship, featuring off the bench against
Italy and scoring a try against
England. His try against England was nominated for the
Volkswagen-sponsored
Try of the Year when the 2018
Rugby Players Ireland Awards nominees were announced in April 2018. Stander started in all three tests in Ireland's historic 2–1
series victory against
Australia in June 2018, scoring Ireland's only try and earning the
Man-of-the-Match award in their 20–16 third test win. During the
2018 Autumn Tests, Stander started in Ireland's 28–17 win against
Argentina on 10 November, and in their 16–9 win against
New Zealand on 17 November, a victory that was Ireland's first ever in Dublin against New Zealand. Stander started in Irelands' 32–20 home defeat against England in the opening round of the
2019 Six Nations Championship on 3 February 2019, though he went off injured during the game. He returned from the injury to start in Ireland's 26–14 win against France on 10 March 2019 and their 25–7 defeat at the hands of Wales on 16 March 2019, a victory that secured a grand slam for the Welsh. He was selected in the 31-man Ireland squad for the
2019 Rugby World Cup, having featured in the
warm-up match against
England and the second fixture against
Wales. He started in Ireland's 27–3 win against
Scotland in their opening
Rugby World Cup pool A fixture on 22 September 2019, as well as their shock 19–12 defeat against hosts
Japan in the second pool game, before featuring off the bench in Ireland's 35–0 win against
Russia and starting and scoring a try in Ireland 47–5 win against
Samoa in their final pool game, a victory that secured Ireland's place in the last eight of the tournament. Stander started in the comprehensive 46–14 quarter-final defeat against
New Zealand on 19 October 2019. Retained by new head coach
Andy Farrell in his squad for the
2020 Six Nations Championship, Stander started in Ireland's 19–12 opening win against Scotland on 1 February 2020, their 24–14 win against defending champions Wales on 8 February, and their 24–12 defeat against England, before the tournament was suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament eventually resumed in October 2020, with Stander starting and scoring a try in Ireland's 50–17 win against Italy and starting in the 35–27 defeat against France in their final fixture of the tournament. Stander was nominated for the
2020 Six Nations Player of the Championship. With the usual format of end-of-year international tests not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ireland instead participated in the
Autumn Nations Cup. Stander started in the 18–7 defeat against England on 21 November 2020, the 23–10 win against
Georgia on 29 November, and the 31–16 win against Scotland on 5 December, which secured a third-place finish for Ireland in the tournament. Stander started for Ireland in their 21–16 away defeat against Wales in their opening fixture of the
2021 Six Nations Championship on 7 February 2021, also starting in the 15–13 home defeat against France and the 48–10 away win against Italy, in which Stander scored a try, Stander won his 50th cap for Ireland in their fixture against Scotland on 14 March 2021, leading the side out in their 27–24 away win. Two days after winning his 50th cap for Ireland, Stander made a shock announcement that he would be retiring from rugby at the end of the 2020–21 season, citing a desire to raise his young daughter around his family in South Africa, to leave the game whilst still in good form, and to reduce the burden placed on his young family by a professional rugby players career. Ireland captain
Johnny Sexton expressed his surprise at Stander's decision, whilst also heaping praise on his international teammate. Following the announcement, many media outlets were quick to praise Stander for his decision and for his impact on Irish rugby. His 51st and final cap for Ireland was their 32–18 win against
England in the final round of the 2021 Six Nations on 20 March 2021. In a post-match interview, an emotional Stander thanked supporters and staff and remarked that
"dreams do come true". In his final Six Nations campaign, Stander was named in the
Team of the Championship.
British & Irish Lions Stander was selected in
Warren Gatland's 41-man squad for the
2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand when it was announced in April 2017. On 7 June, Stander made his non-test debut for the Lions when he started at Number 8 against the
Blues in
Eden Park, scoring the Lions only try in their 22–16 defeat. On 10 June, Stander made his second appearance of the tour when he replaced Ireland teammate
Seán O'Brien in the match against
Crusaders in
AMI Stadium. On 13 June, Stander made his third appearance of the tour, starting at Number 8 against the
Highlanders in
Forsyth Barr Stadium. On 20 June, Stander started for the Lions in their 34–5 win against the
Chiefs in
Waikato Stadium. On 27 June, in the final mid-week fixture, Stander started against the then-defending
Super Rugby champions
Hurricanes in
Westpac Stadium. Having been an unused replacement during the second test a week earlier, Stander made his test debut for the Lions on 8 July when he was a half-time substitute for his injured Ireland teammate
Seán O'Brien during the third test against
New Zealand in
Eden Park. The 15–15 draw meant the series itself was a draw. ==Personal life==