It’s Always a Huge, Huge Game

It’s a fixture and a rivalry which has resonated with Josh van der Flier ever since he was a youngster.

So the significance of the Leinster-Munster derby is certainly not lost on him now as a player.

The Ireland flanker is anticipating a titanic tussle when the two arch enemies lock horns in front of a bumper Croke Park crowd on Saturday evening (5.15pm).

It’s all the more mouth-watering given Munster Rugby have started the season with a bang, winning their first three Vodacom URC games, and are also looking to end a four-match losing streak against Van der Flier’s Leinster Rugby, who have won eight of the last nine meetings between the teams.

That recent run of results in the fixture is rather different to the way things were when Wicklow product Van der Flier was in his formative years.

“When I was younger, Munster were by far the dominant side and it was always a tough watch when they played Leinster,” says the man who now proudly wears the blue colours.

“I remember when my sister was real small, she had a Munster jersey she used to wear because they were winning all the time. I think she supports Leinster now, thankfully!

“I remember, when I was at school, a lot of the Ireland backs would play for Leinster, and then the whole forward pack was nearly all Munster.

“It was unbelievably competitive. They were always ferocious fixtures.

“I think all the interpros have an element of edge to them, but particularly this game.

“One thing I find that makes it different is the amount of Munster fans living in Dublin because of the multi-cultural city that it is.

“There is always a good mix of fans, and they certainly let you know about it, in a great way. It makes for a great rivalry.”

The 73-cap openside continued:

“It’s always a huge, huge game. It’s always one of the ones you are incredibly excited for.

“It obviously means a lot to us playing against Munster. They are huge rivals.

“I suppose it has turned a bit in recent years in terms of the results. We have put in some really good performances and, most of the time, managed to be on the right side of it.”

That’s certainly the case, with Leinster having won 14 of the last 16 and 22 of the last 25 meetings between the teams.

However, Munster will head into this weekend’s derby full of confidence, having recorded victories over the Scarlets, Cardiff Rugby and Edinburgh Rugby to sit level on points with the DHL Stormers at the top of the URC table.

“They have been very good. They look very organised and full of energy,” said Van der Flier.

“We are expecting Munster at their best because they have looked very impressive. Three wins from three, it’s a flawless start.

“We are expecting a huge challenge from a very good Munster side. It will take our best.

“It’s always been an unbelievably competitive fixture and it’s always an entertaining game.”

To add to the mix, players on both sides will be looking to stake a claim for selection in the Ireland team to face New Zealand at Chicago’s Soldier Field in the opening autumn international on November 1.

“It will be weird. We will be knocking lumps out of each other on Saturday and then potentially together in camp on the Sunday evening,” said Van der Flier.

“It’s part of the game. I enjoy the inter-pro matches even more now, when you know the lads you are playing against well. It makes it more enjoyable.

“It’s like playing sport against your brother. It’s nice to beat them. It will be interesting, all right, but I suppose we are kind of used to it now.”

League champions Leinster go into the Croke Park clash having bounced back from successive defeats out in South Africa by beating the Hollywoodbets Sharks 31-5 at the Aviva Stadium last weekend.

That was a landmark occasion for the 32-year-old Van der Flier as he captained the province for the first time.

“I hadn’t done it before. The last time I was captaining a side was in a schools cricket final, so it was a lot different!” he revealed.

“When Leo (Cullen) asked me if I would like to captain the team, it was a nice honour to get. It’s not something I ever really looked for. There are a lot of great leaders here who are very good at it, and it comes very natural to them.

“From my point of view, it was probably just a bit of a busier week, I suppose. You are touching base with the coaches and other players around different areas of the game and messaging. There were a few meetings towards the end of the week I was heavily involved in as well.”

Asked whether he looked to emulate any of the skippers he has played under, he replied: “My temptation at the start of the week was ‘Right, this guy does this, I might copy that, I might say this’.

“But I got some good advice from a few different people. I spoke to my parents and a few of the lads. They said you’re not being asked to be captain because they want you to be someone else. It’s because they like the way I go about things.

“I was obviously very influenced by Johnny Sexton in terms of the way I think about the game, and I looked up to him a huge amount as a captain. He sent me a nice message the day before the game. He just said be yourself and enjoy it. I thought that was quite a nice thing, and that’s kind of what I tried to do.

“I just tried to be myself as much as possible.

“In fairness to the lads, they were very helpful. It was a cool experience and a great honour to be asked to do it, and it was nice to get the win. It was a good start to the home games, so we were happy enough with that.”