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Published 11:03 13 Sept 2022 BST
Updated 11:09 13 Sept 2022 BST
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"We have our history, it's a lot like where we're from and the landscape and the environment we're in, it's a tough place. But inside that tough place there's a beauty to it - maybe I'm getting sentimental in my old age. But there's something special about it... "I've been in a dressing room before when people said - I was quite young at the time -'We're on TV this weekend. It's a great opportunity for us'. "What do they mean by that? They mean it's a great opportunity for teams to look at us, so we'd be picked up by another club. I never thought about it that way. I always thought every day was a great opportunity for me to go out and play for Connacht."The first time Josh van der Flier came up against Muldoon, it was in that memorable 2015/16 season, when the men from the West claimed league glory for the first time. A March fixture at The Sportsground, that season, saw Connacht claim a win that would be a portent for that final at Murrayfield. Two months previous, van der Flier faced off against Connacht in his second season of professional rugby, and his 16th outing with the senior Leinster side. At the United Rugby Championship season launch, the Wicklow native fondly recalled Muldoon's words to him, after one crunching tackle. [caption id="attachment_272078" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
John Muldoon, Connacht, is tackled by Jamie Heaslip, left, and Josh van der Flier, in March 2016. (Credit: Ramsey Cardy/SPORTSFILE)[/caption]
"It was my first time playing against them, and he tackled me. The two of us were at the bottom of a ruck, completely squashed, face to face. "It was towards the end of the game, and it was a really tough game. He said to me, 'Josh, if you stay here and I stay here, they won't give out to the either of us for not working hard'. That was a funny moment that sticks out to me."Van der Flier may have heeded those words and taken a few beats, before returning to his feet to rejoin the Leinster ranks. He ended up playing the full 80 as Leinster closed out the game, aided by a late Ian Madigan penalty, to win 13-0. Muldoon played the full 80, too. In total, he started 25 of his 27 Connacht outings, that season, and logged just under 2,000 minutes as the men from the West won their first ever league title. *Josh van der Flier and Leinster kick off their United Rugby Championship campaign with a 1pm kick-off against Zebre on Saturday, September 17.
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