“I’m sure Dan would’ve done a better job than me” – classic humility from the unsung

Conan Doherty

At 25, Josh van der Flier’s trophy cabinet is filling up nicely.

Two Six Nations titles with a Grand Slam along the way, a Pro 14 honour and a Champions Cup with Leinster shows the Wicklow man is getting used to winning. He’s even beaten the All Blacks twice – twice called upon in Ireland’s hour of need.

But the former Wesley College student is not the sort of man to list out those achievements for you and he’s not the type to even want to be in a conversation about them.

He counts himself merely lucky that he got the chance to play in the victory over New Zealand and certainly not one of the reasons why Joe Schmidt’s side have been successful on two different occasions at toppling the number one ranked team in the world.

The manic line-breaker played a huge role in that special performance on Lansdowne Road when he stepped in as a late replacement to take the place of Dan Leavy but on Monday’s episode of Baz and Andrew’s House of Rugby, van der Flier’s modesty shown through.

Asked by Andrew Trimble about his role in the wins, the Leinster player couldn’t play it down quick enough.

Andrew: Josh, a couple of years ago, we were both involved in that win in Chicago. I maybe naively thought that I was the magic formula to beating the All Blacks. But it turns out it’s you. Has that been put to you, that you’re the magic formula?

Josh: Not at all, no. I think there are a few other common denominators between the two.

Andrew: I can’t think of anything that’s more unlikely than someone as humble as you saying, ‘I am the magic formula to beating the All Blacks’.

Josh: No, definitely not be, now. To be honest, I wasn’t even meant to be [playing]. Well, I was on the bench. I’m sure Dan would’ve done a better job than me. He was meant to be starting but unfortunately was a bit tight and had to pull out and I got playing the game. Joe might not see it as a secret formula if I was on the bench. It was nice to be involved in two games like that and I suppose I’m just lucky and blessed to get to be involved in those two games – I didn’t do too much in either of them but good to be involved in a win.

It’s been a hell of a journey for the flanker and Trimble still remembers his first encounter with van der Flier in 2016 when he got the call-up to the Ireland team.

A moment that best captures the humility of the man.

Andrew: Josh, I remember your first encounter with Carton House when you first got into the squad. You were a youngster at the time and I think you were kind of in awe of the whole setup. I just remember you going over to the breakfast bar and I think you turned to Johnny [Sexton] and said, ‘can we eat whatever we want?’ There was another moment when you were in the swimming pool and there was that little machine where you stick your togs in and it dries your togs and this blew your mind.

Josh: I couldn’t believe it, to be honest with you, Trimby. I still remember walking in and being told we could eat as much as we want whenever we want – I couldn’t get over that.

Andrew: I went straight from living in a student house with five other lads and then coming into that was pretty mind-blowing. I had never been in a setup like that.

Josh: I’m starting to get used to it now but it’s still incredible. You kind of half forget coming down for breakfast in the morning, you’re like, ‘oh yeah, I can eat whatever I want and as much as I want’. It’s pretty cool.

Listen to the full show below.