Lions Test omissions will fuel Leinster's Josh Van der Flier

Andy Farrell, who coached the Lions and now returns to the day job with Ireland, went a different direction Down Under.

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025 - 07:20

Brendan O'Brien

Josh van der Flier intends to harness the “frustration” over his absence from Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions Test teams to prove himself and fuel his performances for club and country through the season to come.

The 32-year-old impressed when given the opportunity in the famous red jersey in Australia over the summer but Farrell, who coached the Lions and now returns to the day job with Ireland, went a different direction Down Under.

Tom Curry started all three games against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies in the No.7 shirt with Farrell looking to another Englishman in Ben Earl and Jac Morgan, the only Welsh representative on the back end of the trip, for back row replacements.

“I got a good chat with him,” said van der Flier. “He said it was kind of his gut feeling on it, and the balance of the back row and everything. So that was kind of how he felt about it. Definitely good motivation for me.

“It's always the same way: if you did play, you'd have confidence and you also get motivation that way as well, but definitely motivation to try and, I suppose, an element of wanting to prove myself.

“The goal is always to be as good as I can be. And it's obviously an opportunity to get better in some way. I've spoken to Faz. He's given me things to work on and I’m excited now and it’s great to be into the season.”

For van der Flier, the most measured and mannerly man you could meet off the field, there was never likely to be a volcanic eruption at this turn of events, but the former World Player of the Year did admit to having mixed feelings about his Lions adventure.

“It was hard to take definitely, yeah. The goal was always to start Test matches. It was obviously great to get on it… It was a funny one, because there's a lot of processing afterwards, on time off, just thinking about things.

“Because if you'd said as a child, or pretty much any stage all the way up to the day they named the squad, if you're just picked on the squad and played a game, you'd be like ‘brilliant’, you know what I mean? Just to get to do that.

“But then the goal was always to play in a Test match. So it was definitely a bit of frustration with it. In fairness to Andy, I spoke to him each of the last three weeks and he's very open and honest. Just kind of said his opinion.

“It was mixed. It was an unbelievable experience as well. Obviously, you're a team at the end of the day, and it was great to see the other lads do well and get the series when. So it was a cool experience, but it was obviously mixed emotions.”

Van der Flier was one of six Lions on duty last week as Leinster bagged a first win of the URC against the Sharks at the Aviva Stadium. Another chunk of those 14 tourists will be on show this Saturday when they face Munster in Croke Park.

Also back is RG Snyman after his body of work with the Springboks during their successful retention of their Rugby Championship title. If Snyman and the rest of the Lions can hit the ground in the way van der Flier did last week then Leinster are in serious business.

The openside was superb with ball in hand, in defence and in turning over ball last weekend. If the Lions fuelled some of that then maybe so too did the fact that he was captaining a side for the first time since having the honour with his sixth-year cricket team.

A long-time member of the Leinster leadership group, the armband wasn’t an active consideration for him until Leo Cullen returned from the opening two games in South Africa and asked van der Flier to assume the role for the week to come.

Whatever the backdrop and motivations last Saturday, he was sensational.

“It was probably a combination of things, obviously my first game back. I actually finished the season ready to play because I didn't play the last couple of weeks on tour, so I was ready to play at the end of the season. Then you just have to switch off for a few weeks.

“It was probably an excitement to get back as well.”