Leinster and Ireland flanker Josh Van Der Flier got his season underway last Friday when he came on for Leinster in their win over the Dragons.
The break was welcome for Van der Flier, who had some time off after a long 2023/2024 season.
Having started preparations for the seasons in July last year for the World Cup, the season ended a year later with a win in South Africa.
While it had its ups and downs, both for province and country, the former world player of the year appreciated how he was managed through the season.
“It was tough. One thing that helped was after the World Cup we had three weeks off. In fairness to the IRFU and Leinster, they are very good at giving us breaks at those sport of times.
“Physically, I felt great all year. One of the things I found tricky last year is you get real fit for the World Cup, and then you have three weeks off, so you are starting again fitness wise.
“One thing that is hard about rugby, and I do get jealous of football players and golfers at times, if you are going to play a sport like that, you get yourself pumped up, but you are not going in having to be physical and violent with people.
“You have to get yourself to a certain mental state before a rugby game, which takes a lot out of you.”
It is almost exactly a year since Ireland suffered further heartbreak at the World Cup, as they exited the quarter-finals to New Zealand.
In a defeat that was emotional for the team and players, it was just the start of a long season ahead.
With so much rugby ahead, it is important to enjoy life off the pitch, as Van Der Flier praised his wife for helping him switch off when needed.
“Before I met her, there was six of us living together, and we were all obsessed with rugby. If it was a day off, we would be outside throwing a rugby ball around.
“After the World Cup it was very difficult. We went away and did tourist things every day to be as busy as possible, because if I was standing still I was playing all the games back through my head. Anytime you lose in a big tournament, you play it through.
“That was a hard one to switch off from. I watched the final, and once the final was over, I was able to switch off because the World Cup was over for everyone.”
The big guns for Leinster will return to action this weekend as they travel to Italy to face Benetton on Saturday.
It has been a run of seasons of heartbreak for Leinster, who have lost three Champions Cup finals in a row, while have yet to win this format of the URC.
Van Der Flier admitted defeats made the squad realise the small margins between victory and defeat when it comes to silverware.
“One thing we have certainly learned is how close it is and the narrow margins you can look back on at the end of a campaign, that if you win you don’t tend to notice them as much, but you certainly do if you lose.
“One thing that sticks out with me is we probably played better at the end of the game in the European final than in the last test against South Africa.
“We are very hungry and excited for the year ahead, and there is no reason we can’t give it another big shot this year.”
Healy milestone
Meanwhile, head coach Jacques Nienaber said he is privileged to be able to coach Cian Healy as he became the all-time appearance holder for Leinster.
The Ireland prop broke Devin Toner’s record as he made his 281st appearance for Leinster in the win over the Dragons on Friday night.
At the age of 36, Healy is still going strong, having overcome so many setbacks, including an injury that almost forced hom to retire, and missing out on the World Cup.
Describing the achievement, Nienaber said it is a moment he will tell his children about, and praised Healy for his resilance.
“How privileged are we to be part of history? I have never coached someone with the amount of expereince and games he has, it is remarkable.
“For me, he is still a guy that contributes, he has still got a good attitude, he is taking youngsters under his wing, he is taking ownership of his craft, and he is distributing his knowledge to the other guys.
“It is something I will tell my kids one day, and my grandkids. I coached a guy, his name is Cian Healy, and he played 281 times for a club. What a privilege to be part of that season.”
In the opening two games, it is 10 from 10 for Leinster, who have had to deal with a number of players missing.
While some players came back last weekend against the Dragons, many internationals will return against Benetton on Saturday, while several younger players in the squad are in South Africa with Emerging Ireland.
Nienaber admitted this has its challenges, but is happy for the opportunity players are getting.
“Hopefully after this weekend we can get everybody back from the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa because we lost 12 players to South Africa.
“You can look at it and say it is tough but it is actually brilliant. Think of that exposure those players are going to get with the Emerging Ireland group. Think of the content and the coaching quality they are going to get over this next couple of weeks.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
