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Schmidt gives Van der Flier injury update and it's not good

Ireland flanker Josh van der Flier

Josh van der Flier could be facing a lengthy absence after suffering a knee injury in Ireland’s dramatic Six Nations win over France.

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The flanker did damage late in the first half at Stade de France and was unable to play any further part as Ireland snatched a 15-13 win courtesy of Jonathan Sexton’s drop-goal with the clock red.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt said Van der Flier will definitely not face Italy next weekend and may be a long-term absentee.

“Josh will be unavailable next week,” said Schmidt.

“He will get a scan either tomorrow evening or Monday. It looks like it could medial ligament but that is just my naive diagnosis.

“I thought Josh was playing really well for us in that opening 25 minutes.”

Teddy Thomas’ magnificent solo try nine minutes from time looked to have given Les Bleus victory, but there was a final twist when Sexton added to his four penalties by holding his nerve with the last kick of the game from around 40 metres out.

Schmidt added: “It’s pretty hard to explain how you feel when you think the game has got away and you have let it slip and suddenly you have grabbed it.

“It was an incredible team effort to work their way up the pitch about 40, 45 metres and then add on a 40-metre drop goal. It was fairly inspirational. Even the fact that so many people had to be involved.

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“We had to drop kick the ball and Iain Henderson got it back. We played a number of phases, a cross kick for Keith Earls who leapt three or four feet into the air to claim it.

“When he struck the drop goal I was just willing it to have enough distance to get over. The coaching staff we all stood up as one and cheered with the other Irish supporters who were in the stadium.”

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Leicester Fainga'anuku denied All Blacks eligibility for TRC

I don’t get that. I got the opposite, this was something Lester really really wanted to do. NZR is not going to stop him doing that by putting ridiculous money in front of him (noted you were only asking for fair money).


I wouldn’t say this was a Mo’unga or Frizell situation where there talent only was unlocked after they signed abroad, when Schmidt and Ryan came in respectively. LF was on a good trajectory, and he just decided he has the perfect window of opportunity to go abroad while he’s not first choice, learn and live in France to come back better and have a good shot at the perfect age. I think he recongised that.


Agreed that our rotation has been off the the last decade, players have not been moved on when they should, but I wouldn’t include Rieko in that discussion, though I would accept he is more of a marketing than performance signing.


Also agree it is a strange condunrum that results from the misalligned seasons, where Lester is straight into NPC in the same season almost. When really the ‘start’ of his contract is next year. Is he even going to be on the payroll at the moment? Could it be used as a double dip to encourage players back, a ‘bonus international season’ of match fees.


But they also don’t want them to become anymore common. So perhaps everything is fine? Like I was alluding to with Toko, they would need multiple markers of their own in Top 14 for them to be able to gauge off. As I’ve said in previous articles I’d be comfortable to expand sabbaticals to 2 in every position (yes a huge change), so that the was a core group of 30 of the top players all aligned with the ABs and overseas at any one time. This would ensure there are good markers to correlate levels of performance amongst everyone. This is a very similar setup/size to South Africa. It is like the AB modem in a wider organism, the vets are shipped off much earlier, and the core of next cycle is brought through. No missing out on the JGPs or Aki’s, no the Antonio’s or young Patrick Tuifua’s to france, keeping the Chandler Cunningham-South’s or Roots brothers, evan this Dubious guy from the French team was playing rugby here in NZ and could have stayed with a more ground up focus on bringing players through, not paying them much etc lol

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