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The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Josh van der Flier recalls hilarious first memory of the British & Irish Lions from his childhood
JOSH van der Flier accidentally taped over a home movie to record the Lions' 2005 whitewash by the All Blacks. But the Ireland flanker is hoping his family can watch footage of a series triumph in Australia this summer. 3 The former UCD RFC player missed out on Lions selection in 2017 and 2021 3 The Leinster flanker returned from injury to score a try in the URC final 3 The Wicklow native has a funny memory around the 2005 edition of the Lions Credit: Sportsfile The Wicklow native, 32, was Before departing for Down Under last Saturday, van der Flier helped host a training session for 90 kids in UCD. And VDF revealed how there was a VHS mishap as the then-12-year-old attempted to record the The Leinster star explained: 'We didn't have the channels in my house but my grandparents lived across the road, so we would go and watch the Lions. Read more on Irish sport 'I would have been quite young. I distinctly remember 2005. We had a family video and we taped over it by mistake! It was Lions against New Zealand that year, would that be right? We didn't have the TV channels and it was on cassettes. 'It was either that or Star Wars or something! It wouldn't have been something I verbalised but I watched games on TV. 'Then you go straight out to the garden and you pretend to be someone who is playing for the Lions or Ireland. It's probably the pinnacle.' Van der Flier made his Leinster debut in 2014 and earned his first Ireland cap in 2016 against England, going on to make 72 appearances in the green jersey since. Most read in Rugby Union But for a time in 2021, he was behind his Leinster team-mate Will Connors in Andy Farrell's Ireland pecking order. A knee injury ruled Connors out for the 2022 season and opened the door for van der Flier, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands. 'Big weekend' - Peter O'Mahony embarking on hectic gardening project as he aims to add '300 plants' So the flanker recognises how much of an achievement it is to get the Lions nod from Farrell now. He said: It's hard to compare with playing for your country. But it is a very hard thing to do. It's pretty cool.' The Lions face Australia in the first Test at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19. Farrell's troops will travel to Melbourne a week later 26 for a clash at the MCG before the final Test takes place in Sydney on August 2. Should Van der Flier start, he will be doing his best to counteract a game-plan devised by Australia chief Joe Schmidt, who gave him his Ireland bow nine years ago. Having faced Schmidt's Wallabies Van der Flier said: 'They were pretty impressive when we played them in November. 'Joe is an incredible coach. He will have them very well organised and with a few tricks up their sleeve as well. It will be a big challenge.'
The 42
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It was the Lions or Star Wars' - Van der Flier raring to go in Perth
THEY DIDN'T HAVE all the good channels in Josh van der Flier's house when he was growing up, so he used to have to go elsewhere to watch the Lions. The handy thing was that his grandparents had Sky and only lived across the road in Wicklow. Good memories, although van der Flier recalls one mishap in 2005. 'We had a family video and we taped over it by mistake,' he says. 'So we used to watch that over and over again. 'We didn't have the TV channels at home, it was just cassettes. So it was either that or Star Wars or something. So I ended up watching a lot of that 2005 Lions game.' Van der Flier is hoping this year's Lions have a better time of it in Australia than the '05 crew did in New Zealand. He's now in Perth with Andy Farrell's squad and will almost certainly make his Lions debut on Saturday against the Western Force. Having played in the URC final with Leinster, van der Flier didn't feature in last Friday's defeat to Argentina in Dublin before the Lions left for Australia. So he will be raring to get going this weekend. Advertisement 'It's probably the pinnacle,' says van der Flier of being a Lion. 'It's hard to compare with playing for your country but it is a very hard thing to do, so it's pretty cool.' Van der Flier at Lions training in Hale School, Perth. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Van der Flier missed out on selection in Warren Gatland's squad four years ago when the Lions went to South Africa. He seemed much more of a sure thing this time around, given his excellent form for Ireland under Farrell for the past four years, but van der Flier says the squad announcement day in May was an anxious one. 'We finished training at like 1.30pm and the announcement was at 2pm,' says van der Flier. 'I didn't even bother showering, I was straight out the door because I didn't want to be there in front of loads of lads if guys didn't get picked or if I didn't. 'So I just went home. My wife actually FaceTimed me, so we watched it together.' With the Lions announcement day involving a lengthy preamble and with the forwards and backs eventually being named alphabetically, van der Flier had a long wait. 'I was sitting there, sweating on the couch. 'You have a good idea of how squads are made up, so you obviously need specialised lineout back rows, maybe one or two sevens. And then there was like four sevens and my name hadn't been called and you think, 'Oh no,' but I made it in the end.' Van der Flier played for Leinster against Zebre just a few days after being named in the Lions squad and admits initially 'you're probably fighting a bit mentally' to stay focused on the job at hand. Yet the URC knock-outs made it impossible to think ahead to the Lions tour as van der Flier and Leinster narrowed in on ending their wait for silverware. Van der Flier in UCD last week. Andrew Conan / INPHO Andrew Conan / INPHO / INPHO The 32-year-old had a brief injury scare when he hurt his hamstring during Leinster's quarter-final win over the Scarlets. 'I had never hurt my hamstring before, but it didn't feel too bad, to be honest,' he says. 'I had no reference point. It ended up being a small little thing, I got a knee in the back of it, I think. But the unknown was still… I was hoping it was alright. Thankfully, it was.' He missed Leinster's semi-final win over Glasgow and then returned to the starting XV for the final victory over the Bulls, scoring a try in a typically effective 80-minute performance. That 'brilliant' success meant he was delayed in getting into Lions camp until last week. Having watched Wales' Jac Morgan get the first shot in the number seven shirt against the Pumas, van der Flier will be keen to get going this Saturday. Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, and Ben Earl are all options at openside too, but van der Flier is a man on a mission.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Star Wars of Lions v Australia awaits Josh van der Flier after long wait
It is written in the stars that Josh van der Flier's Lions debut will come against The Force. The Wicklow man's family had a video player instead of TV channels when he was a kid and his watching options largely consisted of watching the Lions or Star Wars. He didn't grow up to become a Jedi but the force is finally with the 32-year-old Leinster and Ireland star after he departed Dublin for Australia on Saturday with Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad. His debut is expected to play against the Western Force on Saturday, a moment that has been a long time coming for the 73-times capped Ireland star. "Gosh, I always wanted to play (for the Lions)," he admitted. "I didn't really know that rugby was a job when I was younger, it probably wouldn't have been something I verbalized. "But I used to watch an Irish game or a game on TV and then go out to the garden and pretend to be someone who played for Ireland or the Lions. It's probably the pinnacle. It's hard to compare with playing for your country but it is a very hard thing to do, so it's pretty cool." When he wanted to watch the Lions when he was a child he popped across the road to his grandparents' house. "I just have a vague memory of it, I would have been quite young," van der Flier recalled. 'I distinctly remember, I think it was 2005, we had a family video and we taped over it by mistake. "It was Lions against New Zealand that year, we used to watch that over and over again. It was either that or Star Wars or something. So I ended up watching a lot of that 2005 Lions game.' When Leinster finished training on the day of the squad announcement, van der Flier made a bee-line for home. "I didn't even bother showering, I was straight out the door because I didn't want to be there in front of loads of lads if guys didn't get picked or if I didn't," he recalled. "So I just went home. My wife actually facetimed me so we watched it together. It was a long wait. Last time I had a vague memory of the announcement just popping up and that was it, this time it was like 30 minutes of TV before it got to it. I was sitting there sweating on the couch." With a surname starting with 'v', the wait was even longer as he watched as back row after back row was named before announcer Ieuan Evans got to his one. 'You have a good idea of how squads are made up so you obviously need specialized lineout back rows, maybe one or two 7s," said van der Flier. "And then there were like four 8s and my name hadn't been called and you think 'oh no', but I made it in the end.' The worry didn't end there, however. Van der Flier missed Leinster's URC semi-final with a hamstring issue, and was a doubt for the final but did start the victory over the Bulls. "I never hurt my hamstring before, thankfully I've been good with muscle things, but it didn't feel too bad to be honest," he said. "I'd no reference point, it ended up being a small little thing - I got a knee in the back of it I think - but the unknown was still...I was hoping it was alright. Thankfully it was. "People were asking me what the story is with tickets, wondering what my plans were and I was literally saying, 'I'm not even thinking about that until I'm finished (with Leinster)'. Winning the URC was brilliant, so the last few days I could go into camp and it was here. It was ignore it until it was there." Van der Flier was then travelling reserve for the opening defeat to Argentina at the Aviva Stadium last Friday night but wasn't required to play. The Lions arrived in Perth around midday Irish time on Sunday. They went straight into a busy schedule yesterday with a visit to Clottesloe and an aboriginal cultural experience in the form of a 'Welcome to Country' in Kings Park. But had some time to take stock of his impressive journey when the Lions trained at the UCD Bowl last week. "It was incredible, we trained here on Tuesday and it was very cool coming out into the changing rooms," said van der Flier. "It's my first time properly here since playing here for UCD." He played for the club in 2014 and '15. "It's very easy when things are going from one thing to the next to get used to where you're at," the flanker reflected. "To be involved in the Lions is incredible and you come to the UCD changing rooms for the first time since a few years ago, it's special."
Irish Examiner
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Josh van der Flier finally gets to love his Lions dream
Josh van der Flier has gone a long way for a man who never really went anywhere. The day job is a Leinster outfit that has its base in UCD, a campus where he attended college and played AIL rugby before moving on to the professional game. His home matches, for both club and country, are played in the city where he went to school and learned so much about his trade. Even his first experience with the British and Irish Lions has had Dublin as its initial backdrop. One of the late arrivals into camp after Leinster's URC final defeat of the Bulls, van der Flier was able to stroll from the team's digs in St Stephen's Green to his wife's workplace nearby for lunch. It didn't really feel like being on tour at all. Read More British and Irish Lions warn Australia must release players for tour fixtures That will be different now that the party has moved on to Perth and a fixture against Western Force this Saturday in which he will be expected to garner some game time having sat out the tour opener against Argentina in the Aviva Stadium. It's been a long time coming. Unfortunate to miss out for the South African trip in 2021, he was made stew that bit longer when the squad was announced last month, the alphabetical arrangement giving him some nervous moments before he brought up the rear in terms of forwards. 'You have a good idea of how squads are made up so you obviously need specialized lineout back rows, maybe one or two sevens. And then there was like four sevens and my name hadn't been called and you think, 'oh no', but I made it in the end.' He did, but the anxiousness didn't end there. A hamstring injury – his first ever – forced an early exit against Scarlets in the URC quarter-final and he missed the last four tie against Glasgow before returning for the Bulls run at Croke Park. TOUCHDOWN IN OZ: Josh van der Flier signs an autograph for a fan after arriving in Perth ahead of the Lioins first game against Western Force on Saturday. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan Now, finally, he gets his chance to wear that famous red jersey at the age of 32 and bring to life the dreams he played out in his back garden after watching the Lions from afar here at home two decades ago. 'We didn't have the channels in my house,' he explained. 'My grandparents lived across the road so we would go in and watch the Lions. I just have a vague memory of it, I would have been quite young. I distinctly remember, I think it was 2005, we had a family video and we taped over it by mistake. 'It was Lions against New Zealand that year, would that be right? So we used to watch that over and over again. We didn't have the TV channels at home, it was just cassettes. So it was either that or Star Wars or something. So I ended up watching a lot of that 2005 Lions game.' Which of the three Tests they recorded that time he didn't say. It doesn't matter much in the sense that the tourists were well-beaten in all three. The current crop made for the southern hemisphere with far more expected of them. No-one would say it's easy or straightforward when merging players from four different national teams – and 15 clubs - into one but Felipe Contepomi had an interesting take on that concept before last week's Puma game in Dublin. Read More Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan carry injuries as Lions land in Australia The Argentina manager drew parallels in style between Ireland, Scotland and Wales and suggested that even England's strategic approach through the back end of the Six Nations campaign mirrored something of their Celtic cousins. It could be that there is more uniformity in rugby these days. "There seems to be,' said van der Flier. 'A lot of coaches seem to have done it well. Like in Ireland there was obviously Joe Schmidt and then a few coaches and players under him, and they end up coaching the way he did. "I think there's probably a bit of spillover. Andy Farrell coming from England, I'm sure there would have been players who worked with him and on previous Lions tours. There definitely is a bit of crossover. 'I wouldn't know any difference, if you know what I mean, so I couldn't really compare it to too much, but I don't think from my perspective I've found it too different and I don't think too many lads have. I think they've settled in quite well.'
The Irish Sun
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ruthless Leinster crush Zebre to claim top URC seeding
LEINSTER bounced back from their Euro heartache to seal top seeding in the URC. A week after 2 Leinster hammered Zebre as they put 12 tries past their Italian opposition 2 James Lowe scores his side's seventh tr at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin While Gonzalo Garcia's effort was Zebre's only response, Sam Prendergast, Josh van der Flier, Jamie Osborne (two), Ciarán Frawley, and James Culhane added to the hosts' record winning margin. Two minutes in, Jack Conan offloaded for fellow Lion Kelleher to finish and Prendergast kicked the first of his 17 points. McGrath took Leinster into double figures, following up on a van der Flier surge. Baird then barged over for 19-0. read more on golf Player of the match Barrett crashed over again on the half-hour and Prendergast tagged on his fourth conversion. Lowe got over before the interval and Prendergast started the second half's try-scoring by finishing a counter attack. And when a high ball bounced loose, van der Flier capitalised to complete his brace. Osborne soon collected Barrett's kick to go in at the corner. Zebre prop Juan Pitinari threatened before replacement Frawley's fine finish from 42m. Most read in Rugby Union Simone Gesi's weaving run had Leinster back-pedalling, and scrum-half Garcia squeezed over. LEINSTER 75 - 6 ZEBRE Culhane and Osborne added late tries for a record winning margin. 'Dumbest game ever' - Former England star, 33, takes up violent new sport slammed by experts SCORERS — Leinster: Tries, Kelleher, McGrath, Baird, Barrett 2, Lowe, Prendergast, van der Flier, Osborne 2, Frawley, Culhane; cons, Prendergast 6, Frawley 2. Zebre: Try, Garcia.
