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Van Der Flier Voted Player Of The Autumn Nations Series

Josh van der Flier rounded off his calendar year with Ireland by scoring tries against New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia during the Autumn Nations Series ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Ireland’s tireless openside flanker Josh van der Flier has been crowned the Player of the Series for this year’s Autumn Nations Series.

The result follows a fan vote that saw him narrowly edge out South Africa’s electrifying wing Cheslin Kolbe. Van der Flier captured 37% of the vote, with Kolbe close behind on 34%, highlighting just how impactful both players were during the 2024 Series.

The 2022 World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year has long been regarded as one of the most consistently high-performing players in the game, and this campaign only reinforced the Leinster forward’s standing.

Across a Series in which Ireland only grew after a stuttering start against New Zealand, van der Flier was at the centre of everything.

Against the All Blacks in front of a raucous and expectant Aviva Stadium, the 31-year-old delivered a masterclass in route-one breakdown work, disrupting the opposition’s flow with his powerful ruck entries and scoring the hosts’ only try – despite Andy Farrell’s men eventually succumbing to the visitors.

He was equally instrumental against Argentina, making a game-high 24 tackles and beating three defenders, as well as making 14 carries as Ireland overcame the Pumas 22-19.

Against Fiji, van der Flier showcased his versatility, stepping into a more attacking role in an open game, paving the way for team-mates to score and touching down for a try of his own in a convincing 52-17 win.

In the final match of the Series, a gripping 22-19 victory over Australia, the Wicklow man was once again on the scoresheet – involved twice in the build-up, no less – and delivered in the tight exchanges, before his involvement in the final ruck helped to seal the result.

Overall, his stats across the four matches in this campaign underline his influence – three tries, 27 carries, 45 tackles, and 101 rucks hit.

As the stats from Opta show, he made a combined average of 68 carries, tackles and rucks per 80 minutes – more than any player of any nation to feature for 100 or more minutes.