Former Ireland and Leinster flanker Josh van der Flier speaks about the lasting influence of his coach, Joe Schmidt, on his rugby career. Van der Flier, now 31, credits Schmidt for his early professional rugby experiences and continued growth as a player, despite the change in coaching staff post-2019 World Cup.
Schmidt's influence on Irish rugby lives on in players like the former world player of the year. The 31-year-old is one of the crew of top class players who came through at Leinster and Ireland in the last decade and more and he thrived under the Kiwi.
"He helped me a huge amount. His emphasis on detail, he goes above and beyond in that way, and his focus on players getting good habits and being good as individuals is something I developed hugely from. "He does feel an awful lot of love from the general public at large, but there's definitely a faction that would suggest that when it came to the crunch he didn't deliver when we had the capacity to do so," O'Driscoll told Newstalk.
"Maybe you don't have to be overly obvious around what was going on in the past but it's very apparent that 'this is great, this wasn't great towards the end'. Sign up for our Rugby news service on Whats App Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest rugby news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Rugby Joe Schmidt Josh Van Der Flier Leinster Ireland World Cup
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