DAN SHEEHAN’S FOURTH start for Ireland was a summer tour Test against New Zealand at Eden Park. In his fifth and sixth starts, he beat the All Blacks twice.
The 24-year-old is barely in the door but is already a key presence in Andy Farrell’s matchday squad. With Leinster teammate Rónan Kelleher out injured, he’ll be the starting hooker against the Springboks this weekend. It will be cap number 11, start number seven. The fact that no-one is too concerned about that is testament to how well Sheehan has handled the step up.
“I wouldn’t say it was easy, but I haven’t really surprised myself to be honest,” he says.
“I knew the ability I had, but it took me a while to see that myself around some aspects of the professional game, just to mould myself into it. It took maybe three or four years but once I got there I knew I had something different to offer, and I’d be able to show my game.”
You don’t need to spend long in Sheehan’s company to gather that he’s fairly confident in his own ability. Why wouldn’t he be? The hooker has already played a major part in historic achievements for Irish Rugby and is still only finding his feet at Test level.
He’s also made a blistering start to the new season with Leinster. Five appearances – including three 80-minute shifts and one 79-minute run-out – have seen him cross for six tries, Sheehan repeatedly profiting from some excellent work by the Leinster maul.
“I think the last two seasons have gone well for me. I think slowly I’m building confidence all the way. I feel good now, had a good start to the season, a good few minutes under the belt with Leinster. I feel the body is perfect rolling into these next few weeks. I’m probably at my best confidence-wise anyway, and that belief in my game.”
This weekend brings another new experience with the world champion Springboks coming to town. For a front row player, it’s about the biggest test there is.
“It’s going to be a serious physical challenge,” Sheehan continues.
They probably pride themselves solely on their scrum, lineout and maul. It’s something we’ve been working hard at this week, but we also need to throw some of our game at it as well. We’re not going to go away from our game and say ‘Ah, maul’s off or scrums…’ We’ve got to be able to attack them as well so it’s a big challenge for us this week.
“It’s a massive year coming into a World Cup. And to come up against the world champions a year out is a great time to do it, to really test ourselves on that finals rugby piece that people talk about.
“It’s the first for me against South Africa, probably the first for a lot of lads. We’ve had a taste of it at underage but not as a senior team. But there are other teams who do similar to them. It will be a physical battle. We’re ready for it.”
South Africa do, of course, offer more than just sheer force, with speedsters Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi starting in their back three this weekend.
However power remains their primary currency.
“Their game style is direct and forward, they’re not as expansive as other teams like us maybe.
It is direct. Size is one part of it. But 90% of a dominant collision is technique. That’s what we’re priding ourselves on, the technique of being able to win those dominant collisions. Each team have their ups and downs. They might say they will go for the size and dominance but we will try to move them around, get them going again.
“As a pack, we back ourselves. And as a team we back ourselves to stay together. No Irish team has ever really been based on some magician. It’s always been about how the team works together. Over the past year, you’ve seen how everything is in sync with all the tries, there is no wastage and we’ve performed as a team. We don’t rely on any magicians.”
Sheehan himself has a bit of magician about him. The former Clongowes man possesses speed and footwork not readily associated with the number on his back, and is no stranger to taking up position out wide for Leinster.
That bit of flair in his game is perhaps no surprise when he starts listing out the players he admired growing up.
“There were a few. I remember meeting Jonah Lomu as a kid. I did a photoshoot way back with him. I remember growing up, watching him and then the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, even some of the lads here like Johnny [Sexton] and Cian Healy. It’s a bit surreal thinking I was sitting on the couch watching them when I was 12 years old. But it’s great to be in the same team as them.”
Sheehan can’t remember much detail on the Lomu meeting, but there is at least photographic evidence available online.
“It was a surreal moment,” he adds. “I was mad on rugby at that stage, so to meet him was a bit crazy.”
It all feeds into the type of dynamic skillset Andy Farrell likes to see in his forward players.
“We’re definitely a team where we have to be able to do everything, whether it be passing, tackling. Our game is based on 15 men buying into a system, attack and defence.
“For us anyway, being a one-trick pony doesn’t work anymore, and that’s 1-15.
“Even throwing the ball around, I’m very comfortable attacking with ball in hand, even in the wider channels. I back my skillset and I think it’s something I’ve maybe added to the squad which is a bit different.
“But it’s also something that everyone has grown in. It’s probably expected now in international rugby.”
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