Van der Flier: fitness and work-rate key to setting

TO the casual observer whose access to stats only runs so deep, the tackle count is the best measure of a player’s defensive contribution.

Behind the closed doors of a professional rugby set-up, however, each hit is graded and rated for impact, meaning the overall number is not as important as the quality of each tackle.

Josh van der Flier’s contribution of 34 tackles during the recent win over Connacht is a new Guinness PRO14 record and stands alone as a remarkable total, but the young flanker isn’t patting himself on the back too hard.

It was a tiring outing for the 24-year-old, who was stood down for the game against Ulster but is expected to return for Sunday’s clash against Glasgow Warriors.

“I was actually quite sore the next day but nothing too bad,” he said. “I remember thinking during the game, ‘I’m making a lot of tackles here’, and after the game I was thinking it was probably my most ever.

“I thought it was around the 25 mark. I knew it was more than I had made before so I was pretty surprised afterwards to hear how many it was. It was good.

“Ross Molony got 29 and Max Deegan was 25, I think. It was just one of those games. 29 is an outrageous amount of tackles for any game. I think it was just Connacht hold onto the ball a lot, and they ran at the forwards a lot as well.

“As well as that, they had a few big phases of play in our 22 so I think it just happened to be a high-tackling game.

“Also, them having the ball for a lot of time in the 22. I’d say if anyone else was in that position they would have made a few as well.

“I was happy enough. When I first came into Leinster and Ireland U-20s, it was ‘no missed tackles, that’s brilliant’.

“Now it’s kind of, ‘Oh well, you soaked a few tackles, you had a few tackles where you made them and they ended up a few yards past you before you managed to get them down’.

“I had a few tackles that I grounded a lot and gave them a good bit of yards or they got an offload away, those kind of things which you’re not too pleased with but happy enough overall.