Live

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Repeat: Off The Ball
Advertisement

Sport

'Josh van der Flier deserves European Player of the Year' - Fiona Hayes

Fiona Hayes believes it's an easy choice for European Player of the Year this season.



Josh van der Flier deserves to European Player of the Year, according to Fiona Hayes.

The European Player of the Year five-man shortlist was announced this week.

Leinster players feature prominently on the list. It comprises of Josh van der Flier, James Lowe, Caelan Doris, Gregory Alldritt and Antoine Dupont. Four of the five will feature in the Champions Cup Final between Leinster and La Rochelle. The other is Antoine Dupont so his inclusion is inevitable.

Dupont didn't play well enough in Toulouse' knockout games to be a serious contender. As such, the four remaining candidates will compete individually in the final.

Former Munster and Ireland player Fiona Hayes believes there is one standout candidate this season.

"It has to be van der Flier," Hayes said.

"From the minute it was released, the first list. He's been outstanding and he's performed well in every game. His level of performance is even getting better with every game. He's improved his carries and people have talked a lot about his carries. Even his tackle technique, he's staying injury free.

"For me he's been the absolute standout performer."

Hayes notes that Dupont didn't do enough in Toulouse colours despite starring for France all season.

Van der Flier is a valuable player for Leinster, but he wasn't considered a superstar before this season. He's a regular starter for Ireland and a nailed-on starter for Ireland, but it wasn't until he improved his ball carrying that he became a star.

That individual improvement is consistent across the board in Leinster. Cian Treacy testified that van der Flier is a reflection of the work done by the coaching staff in Leinster.

"There are so many Leinster players who have seriously improved over the last few years," Treacy said.

"And I think that's down to the coaching. The players are clearly unbelievably talented and unbelievably skilled, but the quality of the coaching they're getting has taken a lot of players to new levels. You think of James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park. Ross Molony is a perfect example.

"So much of that is down to the coaching."

Mike Prendergast is adaptable - Finn Russell

 

Team of Us. Everyone In.

Vodafone. The main sponsor of the Irish Rugby Team

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Antoine Dupont Caelan Doris Champions Cup Fiona Hayes Gregory Alldritt James Lowe Josh Van Der Flier

Live: Title

Description

Added to queue
Removed from queue

On Air

Share

Share

Next up in queue

Title
Description
Duration

There are currently no podcasts in the queue

Go to podcasts

On Air

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Share

Up next

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

12:00 AM-02:00 AM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

02:00 AM-05:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

05:00 AM-07:00 AM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

07:00 AM-07:30 AM

Share

LIVE: OTB AM

LIVE: OTB AM

07:30 AM-10:00 AM

Share

Repeat: OTB AM

Repeat: OTB AM

10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

12:00 PM-01:00 PM

Share

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

01:00 PM-02:00 PM

Share

Highlights on Off The Ball

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-05:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

05:00 PM-06:00 PM

Share

OTB Gold

OTB Gold

06:00 PM-07:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Newsround

LIVE: Newsround

07:00 PM-07:30 PM

Share

LIVE: Off The Ball

LIVE: Off The Ball

07:30 PM-08:00 PM

Share

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

LIVE: Wednesday Night Rugby

08:00 PM-09:00 PM

Share

LIVE: The Football Show

LIVE: The Football Show

09:00 PM-10:00 PM

Share

Repeat: Off The Ball

Repeat: Off The Ball

10:00 PM-12:00 AM

Share

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Share on