Josh van der Flier is one of the world’s best – but where is Ireland’s cover for him?

The World Rugby awards took place in Monaco on Sunday night, and Pieter-Steph du Toit was named the best player on the globe for the second time.

Few would argue with the mighty Springbok flanker’s accolade.

Du Toit has been a force of nature for the reigning world champions over the past 12 months.

Caelan Doris, who made the shortlist along with Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe, would have been disappointed on the night, but losing out to Du Toit is no dishonour.

This, after all, is a player who has dominated the past two World Cup finals. Only two Irish players have stood on that exalted stage and claimed rugby’s most prized individual award: Keith Wood in 2001 and Josh van der Flier in 2022.

Van der Flier was a worthy winner two years ago. The Leinster and Ireland flanker had taken his game to another level and the world had taken notice.

Curiously, Van der Flier was still on a Leinster contract when he arrived on the stage to accept that coveted award.

The IRFU eventually locked Van der Flier down on a central deal until 2026, but it was perplexing that one of the best players in the country – and the world – was not on a bumper contract.

The penny eventually dropped and the 31-year-old is now rightly hailed as one of Ireland’s most important and influential players.

The greatest Irish backrower of the professional era? Now there’s a debate for the bar stool. Cases would be made for David Wallace, Seán O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Peter O’Mahony or Doris, but Van der Flier would be top of many lists.

He is certainly on Andy Farrell’s roster of tried and trusted operators who walk into every matchday squad, a group which includes Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong, Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe.

Van der Flier, who won his 69th international cap in the recent emphatic win against Fiji, has been in superb form of late.

Along with Doris, he has been Ireland’s most consistent performer in the autumn. The national team may have struggled to hit top gear, but Van der Flier hasn’t missed a beat.

As for his prestigious award in 2022, it has long been parked

‘It’s long forgotten about now,’ Van der Flier revealed in September of last year.

‘It’s kind of back to normal, I think. It was funny for the first while because I couldn’t do anything wrong as I’d just be slated for it.

‘It’s normal enough now. I suppose if anything it (the award) gives you a bit of confidence, for me anyway, that I can play well at this level.’

If he keeps delivering performances of the standard he has reached this month, he may find himself on the shortlist again in 2025.

Because Van der Flier looks primed for a huge 12 months. There is the Six Nations title defence in green and then a British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.

Van der Flier will be short odds to make the cut for that and he is a near-certainty to feature in the Test series against the Wallabies next summer.

Sam Underhill, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Rory Darge will have something to say about that, but Van der Flier will back himself against all those rivals.

Indeed, it could be a clash of the world’s two best opensides, with Van der Flier potentially locking horns with Wallabies sensation Fraser McReight.

Van der Flier is a crucial cog in Farrell’s machine alright, but the big issue for the Ireland boss is who is next in line?

His first-choice openside has shown remarkable durability and consistency for a long time.

But what happens if Van der Flier goes to ground with injury next year? The pecking order behind the Leinster flanker is a bit unclear.

Nick Timoney, who is primarily playing No8 for Ulster these days, has been part of the autumn training squad but is yet to feature.

Farrell has actually turned to Doris on a few recent occasions to do a job at No7 when Van der Flier was being rested.

Will Connors won nine caps during the early years of Farrell’s Ireland tenure, but Leinster’s chop-tackling openside has drifted from the scene in recent years.

A series of injuries haven’t helped. He is also a very different sort of player to Van der Flier, who offers a bit of everything.

Connors is very much a groundhog-type flanker who does his best work in defence. Perhaps that’s why Farrell’s interest has cooled in recent times.

John Hodnett has plenty of admirers in Munster, while his provincial team-mate Alex Kendellen has been part of the set-up this month as a ‘training panellist’.

Scott Penny has featured in a few training camps but his place in the Leinster pecking order can’t be helping his cause.

Penny is perhaps the most like-for-like replacement for Van der Flier, but he looks a long way from the Ireland picture at the moment.

It’s a bit of an issue for Farrell. There’s been plenty written and discussed about the lack of depth at prop in recent times, but there has been some progress on that front recently, with Thomas Clarkson impressing at tighthead.

And Farrell is awash with options at No10 after a decade of Johnny Sexton dominance.

Yes, Van der Flier is a generational talent, with the awards to prove it, but Farrell could do with some fresh options in this area.

It’s not easy finding a player who can fill in for one of the world’s best, but that’s the challenge facing the Irish management in the years ahead.