Van der Flier returns to make his mark after La Rochelle omission

BACK TO BEST: Leinster’s Josh van der Flier makes a break to set up his sides second try. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

It’s not often a former world player of the year gets dropped so there were always going to be extra eyes on Josh van der Flier last Saturday given the openside had been relegated to the bench for Leinster’s Champions Cup visit to La Rochelle.

The choice of Will Connors had come from left field, not least because Scott Penny appeared to be ahead of him in the queue on the evidence of the season up to that point, but it worked a treat thanks to his talent for chop tackles and their effect in negating the French ball carriers.

Van der Flier had come on for Connors early in the second-half at the Stade Marcel Deflandre and, while he made a handful of errors, it was his poach at the death that allowed Ciaran Frawley punch through the last penalty from 60m and make the game safe.

A slight illness suffered by Connors early last week seems to have spared Leo Cullen the need to agonise over who should wear the No.7 shirt against Sale at the RDS for round two but van der Flier was always going to be chomping at the bit.

“I suppose it was disappointing,” he said of the La Rochelle selection. “I had a word, Leo spoke to me before he named the team, told me his plan, and I completely understood it and was kind of happy to be in a position to come on and put a bit of impact into the game.” 

Van der Flier's impact against the English side was more pronounced across the 80 minutes with ten carries for 25 metres, two turnovers, a brilliant line break for a Jamison Gibson-Park try, a five-pointer of his own and another score ruled out.

Coaches like to see how players react when they face adversity and van der Flier, the most polite man in the world off the field, duly responded with a thunderous man of the match display that will make it that much harder to dislodge him next time around.

“I was happy. I probably got the bounce of the ball a few times. Any time it’s a scrappy game it is normally good for back rows. It’s a very, very competitive group. It’s been a good while since we have had Scott Penny, myself and Will (Connors) all fit.

“The two other lads have been playing brilliant rugby,” he explained. “It is a very competitive position at the moment, it always has been. Each of us know we have to be at our best and it brings out the best in each other.” 

Rightly or wrongly, the selection of Connors two weekends ago was seen as evidence of Jacques Nienaber’s influence. What’s not in dispute is the wider impact the South African has made since joining the province last month from the Springboks.

Van der Flier, like so many of his peers, touches on Nienaber’s analytical side, his extensive use of clips, and the slow but steady infiltration of new ideas and practises into the defensive side of Leinster’s game.

It’s not a replica of the Bok blitz defence but Leinster are clearly exerting more pressure on the opposition and the new senior coach has also put some emphasis on the manner in which the players have been tackling.

If that stuff has been Nienaber’s calling card then van der Flier has been equally taken with his emotional intelligence, revealing how inspirational the newcomer has been in terms of workload and in setting the right tone.

“Last week and this week was my first time hearing him chat before games," he said after the Sale game, "and he's really good at getting the emotional pitch right before games. He's been brilliant.” 

Next on the agenda is a St Stephen’s Day trip to Thomond Park which promises to be a memorable occasion for Nienaber who spent 16 months on the Munster coaching staff before following Rassie Erasmus back home.

Van der Flier has faced Munster 13 times but it is five years since he experienced Thomond over the festive period and Cullen has indicated that Leinster will choose from a strong hand for the latest chapter in the rivalry.

“I love playing that game. I think it's a great [occasion]. The crowd are always on good form, always fairly fired up by the time it gets to it. I find it a brilliant game to play in. It's actually nice because if I'm off, I'll eat as much as I can on Christmas day.

“And if I'm not off you're carb-loading for the game so you also eat as much as you want for Christmas day, so I don't think it will affect me too much. Either way, I love playing the game so hopefully I'll play.”