(Photo: Inpho). “I didn’t quite achieve that but I learnt a lot, especially positioning-wise. “You try not to think about it, but I’m sure everyone wants to get into the Irish squad. (Photo: Inpho), Van der Flier attended his first Ireland camp at the start of January and says: “It was quite intense, with a lot of catching up to do. As memorable was his ensuing home debut against Italy, his first coach ride with a police escort to the Aviva Stadium and singing Amhrán na bhFiann on a rugby pitch for the first time, with all his family in attendance. But rugby was a huge help; tip rugby before and after dinner. Our defence has been the most pleasing thing and we’ve been gelling better.”, Off to a flyer: Josh van der Flier on the attack for Leinster. And it actually felt like a normal game, which was pretty reassuring.”. I remember trying to clear him out and just how solid he was! When you have reset your password, you can, Please choose a screen name. “Eric Miller was probably the only other one before me and then a couple of others a good few years back,” says Wesley’s latest trailblazer, in his own pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming manner. After a couple of years as a ‘7’ in his Junior Cup years with Wesley, he played at ‘8’ in his two Senior Cup years, before reverting to openside on leaving school. "You hear of those lads coming in, all guns blazing and throwing shoulders at people," he says, "I wasn't like that at all! You want momentum leading into Castres and Montpellier.”, Van der Flier also is one of a hatful of contenders for that ‘7’ jersey in Chicago too. I wasn’t used to that.”. I was terrified. He was also part of a UCD U-20s team that won five trophies. Looking fresh in his Avonmore Protein Gold t-shirt, the Leinster and Ireland flanker shakes his head when he is mentioned, now at the age of 27, as one of Leinster's more senior players. “I remember looking up from a scrum and seeing Matt Giteau and Ma’a Nonu there, and then Fernandez Lobbe and Steffon Armitage, with Vermeulen picking off the base. “I played scrum-half until I was 14, then I was moved to flanker because I was getting into too many rucks and there was no one to pass the ball,” he laughs. For the latest Rugby World magazine subscription offers, click here. For some reason, Brian O'Driscoll was training. Josh Van der Flier in action against England’s Mike Brown during the Irishman’s debut in the Six Nations at Twickenham. Keenan, 24, will start on the wing whilst Leinster team-mate Connors, who is the same age, gets the nod at flanker ahead of the more experienced Josh van der Flier. “It’s still very surreal at times. Meet Oisín O’Callaghan, the downhill boy racer at home in cycling’s rainbow jersey. I said, 'Seven, maybe'. It was difficult to tackle him too.”, The physicality and pace of the game has been a step up for van der Flier, but he has adapted and is ready to help Leinster chase the Pro12 title. That was pretty crazy,” he says, laughing loudly now. I never realised it was like a job. I was a bit flustered, to be honest. Dirk van der Flier was a winger for both club and school, and made the Leinster under-21s, before ending his career with Wicklow as a flanker. Please enter your email address so we can send you a link to reset your password. The 2013-14 season was a learning year with UCD and Leinster A, while bulking up in the gym. Although called into an Irish get-together in January, van der Flier was stunned when Joe Schmidt gave him his Test debut against England at Twickenham. QUIZ: How well do you know The Simpsons' famous softball episode? Ireland XV that should start championship decider against France. ", Johnny Sexton had a great take on that sublime Peter O'Mahony offload. Whatever you want! “Then I was getting in too many rucks, and there was no scrumhalf there so they moved me to flanker,” he recalls. It has been six years since van der Flier made his Leinster debut, at the age of 21, for Matt O'Connor. I figured I’d be an engineer or a mechanic or something,” he says , laughing. It was very humbling to put on the jersey and then go out for the anthems. Joe Schmidt handed him an Ireland debut, 18 months later, and their paths did cross when the Kiwi was Leinster head coach. He worked his way through the Wicklow age grades before heading to Wesley College in Dublin as a boarder and continuing his rugby there. The third and final barrel of his surname rhymes with dear, not dryer. But you know if you don’t play in these games you won’t play in that one anyway.”, Monday – Sunday, October 26th – November 1st. To comment you must now be an Irish Times subscriber. One of their four children, Dirk, married Olly Strong, a Kilkenny girl whose family also have strong links with Wesley. "But I got used to the training eventually, about six or seven years later! He worked his way through the Wicklow age grades before heading to Wesley College in Dublin as a boarder and continuing his rugby there. "Even with someone like Will Connors, who is a few years younger than me, I'm a small bit more experienced than him or some of the academy lads. It must be a lively house, with a big fridge to hold enough food for all those hungry mouths. “The abuse off the sidelines every time we warmed up was something else,” he recalls, chuckling once more. All I had was boots; I had no training gear. One session stands out from those early days and still makes him cringe. One of those was Shane Jennings, a hugely influential figure who went through videos with his young pretender before his full debut away to Zebre, two years ago this weekend. Josh van der Flier has dropped the pre-season moustache but is still rocking an impressive mullet when he sits down to chat with SportsJOE about the upcoming rugby season. Last season van der Flier, 22, played most of his rugby for Leinster A and UCD, but he had high hopes of stepping up this term. I didn’t play particularly well but I was happy enough. “I was very nervous again. At the breakdown he is impossible to move once he is on the ball. The notion of a Wesley College boy of Dutch origin playing for Leinster and Ireland sounds a bit fanciful alright, and no one appears to find it all an unlikely dream more than the easygoing young man himself. "We were playing tip, to start off, and first play, he passes me the ball and I drop it. Yet, having been introduced to the game by his dad in their back garden and then the Wicklow under-8s, while also being taken to Leinster and Irish games, this is all he’s ever dreamed of. It’s still weird coming in each morning and saying hello to people you grew up watching, like Jamie Heaslip. The likes of Josh Murphy, Scott Penny, Caelan Doris and Will Connors are the latest set of academy players to bust into the senior ranks and a couple of them have reputations for being lively characters in training. He played No 8 in his last few years at school, dabbled at blindside for UCD, but is now concentrating on openside. "So I went out and did the session. “I always wanted to play for Leinster and Ireland, the same as any young kid watching them wanted to do. So there. “It’s still very surreal at times. By Ryan Bailey Sunday 25 Dec 2016, 6:00 PM Rory Best keeps getting better with age, says Josh van der Flier ahead of Ireland captain's landmark century Ireland were beaten 21-9 by New Zealand in Autumn international Test “And we don’t all eat together – we don’t have a big enough pot to cook for us all!”, Starting both European Champions Cup clashes with Toulon, van der Flier set himself a target of matching his highly acclaimed opposite number Steffon Armitage. There was disappointment about the results in Europe and that has an effect on the squad, but we’ve been good with bouncing back and are motivated to try to win the Pro12. If he handles the step up to Test rugby as well as he handled the move into the Leinster team, he will enjoy himself. Josh van der Flier clears that up in the fourth and final episode of Leinster's "The Academy" documentary. A contract duly followed along with five more appearances before last season’s stunning breakthrough, when a turning point was his try-scoring European Cup debut off the bench away to Bath last November, and starts in the Toulon games. Yet he earned Leinster U-18 and U-19 trials, which led to the Leinster sub-academy and Irish U-19s, and then the full academy and Irish U-20s in 2012-13. '". Three’s company: enjoying a giggle at Ireland training with Jamie Heaslip. Not just a big man, Gearoid Hegarty is one of the game's most skilful magicians, Liverpool fans raise £100k for food banks with boycott of Sheffield United PPV, Mayo's proud record lost after McKenna inspired Tyrone send them down, The problem with Jordan Pickford, PPV price gouging and best fan chants, Mayo for SAM, Rock record & plague of attacking corner backs, "The lads have been giving me a good bit of stick, James Lowe especially", Johnny Sexton on the 15 vs. 15 training session where neither side held back, Johnny Sexton had a great take on that sublime Peter O'Mahony's offload, Getting so excited about James Lowe, while Hugo Keenan was hiding in plain sight, Two new boys and one CJ Stander dominate player ratings after Italy win, "One year I said, 'Look Dad, I'll be grand, I'll get a good gum shield and fire away!