Whisper it quietly, but just in case you’ve forgotten, Josh van der Flier is the reigning World Player of the Year.
For if there is a more down-to-earth, modest, humble, polite, low profile and self-effacing recipient in the history of rugby, or indeed in any sport for that matter, than the Leinster and Irish flanker, well it’s hard to believe. The Cristiano Ronaldo of rugby he ain’t.
He was a deserving winner too, yet his reign has been relatively unheralded. Perhaps because he plays in a relatively unglamorous position of flanker. Perhaps because he’s not Antoine Dupont. But mostly, perhaps because he’s Josh van der Flier.
“I try not to think of it,” he admitted to the media at the daily media conference in the Tours’ Town Hall adjacent to the splendid Hotel de Ville, a revelation which, to be truthful, is not the least bit revelatory.
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“It’s a team sport and I think obviously looking back it’s the success of the team that makes the individuals in a team look good or better. But it’s obviously nice to be in that position coming into a World Cup. You want to be playing at your best and your best rugby and hopefully I can try and do that now over the next few weeks.”
Even his team-mates have stopped chiding him about it.
“It’s long forgotten about now. It’s kind of back to normal I think. It was funny for the first while, because I couldn’t do anything wrong, I’d be slated for it. No, it’s normal enough now.”
Nor has it led to extra baiting from opposition players, although inevitably he does feel more of a marked man.
“No, not in terms of chat anyway. Definitely in the last year, I’ve certainly noticed that there are times – I suppose it’s the nature of the game – where you’re, I wouldn’t say targeted, but I’d be trying to run a little sneaky line somewhere in attack and I could hear someone calling my name and to keep an eye out for me in what I’m doing. There is definitely a bit of that.
“It was something I’m probably aware of when you first break onto the scene or whatever, when I first started playing, you can get away with doing the things that you’re good at but after a while players start, other opposition, you become known for things.
“Whenever we play David Pocock, all you are thinking is you’ve got to be really good at the breakdown because he will go for poaches. I’ve certainly noticed there have been times I haven’t got as much opportunities. Or any time I’ve felt I had a good chance at a ball carry, there are probably two people on me and that kind of thing. I suppose it opens up other opportunities for others but it’s something I’ve noticed over the last year or so.”
As far as he’s aware, van der Flier doesn’t have any obligations during the World Cup as the reigning World Player of the Year.
“No, no I don’t think so. Not that I have heard anyway. I mean, it was a great honour but it feels like a long time ago now. I suppose if anything it gives you a bit of confidence, for me anyway, that I can play well at this level. That’s all I get from it now at this stage, I suppose. But personally, I am definitely incredibly excited to get going and hopefully go well.”
The 2015 World Cup came too soon for him, as he played his first Test later that season, while the team’s anticlimactic performance four years ago leaves him, and 14 other survivors from four years ago, with unfinished business.
But whereas he’s 30 and in his second World Cup, as he noted drily, Jamison Gibson-Park is in his first at 31.
“It’d be pretty awesome to get out there and have a run. I’m a bit of a late bloomer, 31 at my first World Cup, but yeah like I touched on it’ll be pretty awesome to get out there, you like to test yourself in the toughest environments. It’s supposed to be 30 odd degrees or something, it should be fun if I get a run out. Looking forward to it.”
Gibson-Park led the squad’s Viking Clap, made famous by the Iceland football team, at both the amended open session and the welcoming ceremony.
Asked how many takes it required to get it right, he quipped: “The first one, obviously! We were there for a while, to be fair. Just messing on Sunday, trying to come up with stuff to do in the hotel and stay out of the heat. A bit of craic.”
“I see people giving out about the open session – you have to even be careful about how you have craic these days. The people have done an awesome job setting up the training-ground and the hotel. We hope to be here for a while, so it’s important that those things are top notch and they really are, so we’re stoked with that.”
