Josh van der Flier poised for the big finish

PRIMED: Josh van der Flier. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Big day this for Josh van der Flier. 

Ireland’s players are given four complimentary tickets for every Six Nations game with the option to buy more and it sounds like the Leinster flanker had to dip into his pocket for Saturday’s finale at Lansdowne Road.

SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.

SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.

His whole family could be there. Among them, he hopes, will be his grandfather George Strong who used to cycle from Waterford to Kilkenny to play in the Towns Cup but hasn’t been well enough to make it to a game for a couple of years.

It’s a big day for all of them. His 50th cap, but more besides.

This is van der Flier’s eight season with Ireland but he sat out the last day of the Six Nations for the first six of them. Big occasions have been missed: denying England a Slam in Dublin in 2017; being tormented by Wales in Cardiff two years later; and 2020 when they misfired in round five away to France with a title on the line.

The daddy of them all, of course, was 2018 when he injured his cruciate on the opening day in Paris and had to look on from home as Ireland claimed the Grand Slam in Twickenham. He eventually made it to the final fence last year when defeat of Scotland secured a Triple Crown but Saturday is the day of days.

“You want to be playing. I’ve missed out on this stage of a few Six Nations actually, just through injury, and it’s where you want to be, to be involved in these type of games. Hopefully we can put in a performance we can proud of and that’s all we try and focus on, try not to think of anything afterwards.

“It’s something we spoke about during the week, not thinking about afterwards and trying to make plans or something, or want to do something with your couple of days off. Get that all sorted during the weekend, forget about it.

“It’s all about the performance. That’s kind of the way I try and see it, try and not think of the significance. Maybe the significance to enjoy it and motivate but definitely thinking more in terms of getting a good performance and enjoying being able to play with the team.” 

Van der Flier’s story is all kinds of astonishing.

Not just in the sense that he was a solid openside flanker who metamorphosed into the best player in the world so much as the fact that he has done it despite missing so many showcase events. Consider as well the fact that he wasn’t selected for the last British and Irish Lions tour.

His has been a very peculiar type of arrival.

The hype surrounding him has likely lessened slightly. As with all players playing at his pitch, the excellent very quickly becomes the norm, but he has continued to put together a string of superlative performances. His ball carrying probably isn’t as impactful this Six Nations compared to last but his tackle count is up through the first four rounds.

That’s all in the context of his heightened reputation.

“There is definitely a few times in games where I get the ball and find there are three lads on me, where I thought I’d have a bit more space. Probably be a bit more… It might not be the case and it’s in my head, but there are definitely a couple of times when I’ve kinda felt like someone has enjoyed putting a big hit on me or something.” It’s not like he’s doing anything to stay out of sight.

He introduced us to another string from his bow in Murrayfield when he stepped up to throw in to the lineout after Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher both left the field early with injury. He nailed five of eight in the end,. Exceptional numbers under such strained circumstances.

Garry Ringrose, who will miss this particular finale with the head injury he suffered in Murrayfield, marked his club colleague’s 50th appearance when presenting him with his jersey earlier this week and, for all the protestations about concentrating on the process, he understands what this means to his circle.

He paid tribute to his parents who took him to and from training since the age of five. He shared how his dad moved meetings around to watch him play for the schools thirds in fourth year. And he remembered how a grandmother plied them with Dutch jerseys in the hope that she could split their loyalties.

“The support they’ve given me and people along the journey, people who have known me all the way through those stages, it’s nice for a game like this. It’s nice to have them there as they’ve been the ones since the start.” 

And for the big finish.