IT’S PERHAPS NO great surprise that there’s an air of confidence around Dan Sheehan. At just 25 and in only his third full season as an international rugby player, the Leinster and Ireland hooker has achieved a lot, including a series win in New Zealand and last year’s Grand Slam title. He’s also regularly spoken of as one of – if not the – best hookers playing the game right now, layering an impressive ball-carrying and athletic ability on top of the nuts-and-bolts work of his position in Ireland’s front row.
Across his 23 Test caps to date, Sheehan has been on the winning side 20 times. Today’s Six Nations meeting with Wales will be Sheehan’s 12th cap on home soil, and he’s yet to be beaten while wearing the green jersey in Dublin.
It’s a remarkable record, made all the more interesting when you consider his path to this stage. Go back a few years to Sheehan’s time in the Leinster Academy, and you would have found a very different person.
“I’m not surprised by the last three or probably two years but before that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to think that I’d make it in pro rugby,” says Sheehan.
I probably lacked confidence as a teenager, probably saw myself as a decent club player who played with Trinity or whatever.”
Yet slowly, through the encouragement of those closest to Sheehan, his mindset began to change.
“Through parents, through family friends, through coaches that I have had who pulled me aside and said ‘I think you are better than what you think you are…’ and ‘you have the potential if you really wanted to go get it…’ so that’s probably been one of the biggest improvements in my game is probably my mindset and how I perceive myself.
“Stuart Lancaster sat me down when I was in the Academy in Leinster and said ‘I think you can go the whole way’ – which, at the time, I was probably uncapped and just sort of going through training in Leinster and playing AIL on Saturdays, which I was happy doing, and probably too happy to do. So I sat down after that and just thought, ‘Right, how do I get there?’
“So that was one thing that stands out in my mind. My old man would push me hard to be the best version of myself which, well he didn’t push me hard now, but he’d always just remind me that I could probably go to the next level.”
Now Sheehan stands as an important pillar of Andy Farrell’s Ireland team. He captained Leinster for the first time earlier this season and was touted as a potential outside candidate to succeed Johnny Sexton as Ireland captain, with former Ireland hooker Keith Wood among those giving Sheehan the vote of confidence, going as far as to label him “a generational talent.”
“It’s something [leadership] at the start of the season I wanted to improve in myself. I thought it was an area where I can step up. I’ve got a bit of experience now in the last three years of how teams work, how to message, how to speak what’s in my mind, because as a young player you have a lot of the answers in your head, but don’t know when the right time is to say it.
“It’s something I’ve tried to implement in my working week. It doesn’t have to be on game day, but there’s a lot of prep in the week, that I can take a bit more experience on, and make sure others or less experienced players are getting valuable information.”
Woods’ endorsement is just one example of the high praise which has come Sheehan’s way, with Brian O’Driscoll also crowning him “the best hooker in the world” last season.
Sheehan has had to learn how to manage those plaudits across his rise to the top of the game.
“I just do my thing,” Sheehan says. “I’m probably a slightly bit different from most conventional hookers over the last decade or so, which took me a while to understand that.
“I realised that I’m going to have to put my own spin on things so I’m getting to a point where I’m pretty comfortable in what I do, what I can provide, and how that fits in with the team. I’ve enjoyed being able to put my spin on the position. I have full confidence in my ability and my skillset, the work I put in during the week so I can perform on the weekend.
I would like to say I was [always] pretty calm. But it takes a while to get used to the big stage.
“I made my debut for Leinster in an empty RDS against Zebre and now to be playing these big international games in the Aviva, it’s different. I think it shows you little mistakes can cost you and that’s something you have to move on from and accept but I don’t think… It’s something we talk about a bit, don’t get in your own way, just have confidence for the weekend.”
The former Clongowes man has fast emerged as the early leader in the race to be top try-scorer in this year’s Six Nations, having crossed in the opening round win against France and added two more in the 36-0 filleting of Italy.
That attacking threat is the most eye-catching aspect of Sheehan’s game, but the hooker is fully aware his job description mainly focuses on providing a solid set-piece.
Ireland had lineout issues at the World Cup but have enjoyed a 100% success rate on their own throw across their opening two Six Nations fixtures, while the scrum has also held firm.
“Scrum was something I have taken a while to learn, coming from schools rugby into men’s underage is very different and then once you get to international rugby you can be found out.
“Two years in Twickenham we had a bad day in the scrum but luckily we won. They were down to 14 men but we just scraped the win and they are the sort of games that stand to you a little bit and show you the importance of set-piece.
It’s been going well for us in this campaign. It’s always going to be a work-on but I’m getting very comfortable in there and I feel like we can attack other teams.
“We saw it the other week against Italy, who performed well in the scrum on the first day and I thought we put it up to them.
“That’s one area [I'm focusing on]. Just with my around-the-pitch attack stuff, I like being in wider channels where maybe hookers haven’t really seen themselves, so I pride myself on being able to attack from whatever position I find myself in, whether it be the edge or in the ruck and carrying pick and goes.
“I like to feel that I can do everything.”
The statement is delivered with confidence, but Sheehan then quickly highlights that his current run of form won’t be enough to keep him at the top.
“You have to keep getting better. Individuals and teams are alway getting better. If I stay where I am for a year I am going to get swallowed up, something I’ll always look at is how to improve.”
