Talismanic flanker talks about obstacles, advice and role models that have shaped him into one of Irish rugby’s biggest talents
, confirming their status as world No 1, and on Saturday he will try to help Leinster beat Toulouse in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup as they set about reclaiming their title as the best team in the northern hemisphere.and Ireland teams by Will Connors, a dejected Van der Flier felt he had hit an invisible wall. “I was thinking: ‘What more can I do? I’m working on everything and still trying to improve but it’s not quite happening.
He also attributes his growth to a simple lesson handed to him by the now retired Australian forward Scott Fardy, who played with him at Leinster from 2017 to 2021. “Scott got to know me, and he’d see how I’d overanalyse games. He was like: ‘Your technique’s good, you work on it loads, you can do everything. You just need to relax and play the game rather than trying to overanalyse or force it.’ He encouraged me to trust my instincts.
I’ve heard the party went on a long time for the Irish team? Van der Flier grins and says: “Yeah, two, three days. It helped that we had no [Leinster] game the next week. Normally I’d find it hard to celebrate because I’d always be thinking of the next game. But the Six Nations came at a perfect time. I could relax and we enjoyed the celebrations.”
He adds: “Andy’s certainly not afraid to give us big goals – whether winning in New Zealand or winning the grand slam. I know for sure the next goal is to try to win the World Cup.”
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