By Robert McNamara
The fight for business can be quite a scrum at this time of year and car dealerships need a good man to drive sales or they risk losing out.
Well, the queue of customers at one car seller resembled a line-out as a famous rugby face decided to give selling cars ‘a try’.
It’s been ‘no maul’ Mr Nice Guy as CJ Stander had made all the other staff at Keary’s Renault on the Kinsale Road roundabout ‘try’ a whole lot harder. He might be a flanker but he’s hooked on selling cars and you’ve got to give him his ‘props’ as he doesn’t just ‘stander’ and let the cars sell themselves. In a new video made by the dealership, Stander can be seen ‘tackling’ the problem of staff tardiness and sticking the boot into those who are not paying attention to customers.
He’s also seen winning employee of the month, introducing the national anthem before work and generally causing a ruck-us of all sorts.
The video is rugby’s take on the Terry Tate: Office Linebacker TV ads for Reebok, which were first broadcast in the US in 2002 and featured a fictional NFL player in a work setting.
Munster faced Racing 92 in a crucial tie in the European Rugby Champions Cup on Saturday at Thomond Park with Stander starting at number eight. The game was Munster’s 60th major European game at the Limerick stadium and fans will be hoping for a repeat of the last time the sides faced each other with the reds running out comprehensive winners.
Stander has spent his preparation time honing his selling skills but let’s hope he hasn’t been ‘converted’ to selling cars ‘full-time’ and kicks sales into touch.
This story first appeared in the Evening Echo.