Josh Van Der Flier

Josh van der Flier was named World Rugby men’s player of the year in 2022, which surprised everyone except the people who had been watching his tackle counts.

He is an openside built on volume rather than theatre. The numbers — tackles made, rucks hit, metres carried after contact — sit at the top of the northern hemisphere year after year, and they are produced without the penalty risk that usually accompanies a specialist jackal.

The unusual part of his game is the lineout. Ireland have used him as a throwing option, which is close to unheard of for a back-rower and gives them a set-piece variation nobody else has.

He is not the biggest carrier in the pack and does not pretend otherwise. What he offers is a guarantee: the work will be done, the ruck will be secured, and the player who beat him will be tackled by him again forty seconds later.

Ireland have younger opensides pushing. None of them have yet matched the reliability.