YESTERDAY, WE LOOKED at the options at loosehead prop in Irish rugby and here, we turn our attention to the hooker position.
In separate articles to follow this week and next week, we will also look at options elsewhere across the pitch, detailing the senior professional and academy players from each of the four provinces.
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It doesn’t feel all that long ago that there were big concerns within Irish rugby about the future at hooker. Rory Best retired after the 2019 World Cup and there was doom and gloom in some quarters about what might happen next.
Rob Herring was the one to step up as first-choice Ireland hooker initially before Leinster duo Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan burst onto the scene to create depth in this spot.
Kelleher was capped by Andy Farrell in his first game in charge in 2020, while Sheehan made the step up in Test rugby in November 2021. With Kelleher subsequently suffering more than his fair share of injuries, Sheehan has pushed on to become one of the leading hookers in the game.
Herring has been consistently good for Ireland when called up, while Tom Stewart has emerged to compete with him for his place in the Ulster team and Ireland squad.
Encouragingly, there is more young talent in the position and Ireland boss Farrell seems unlikely to lose too much sleep over Irish rugby’s hooker depth chart in the coming years.
Leinster:
- Dan Sheehan [25]
- Rónan Kelleher [25]
- John McKee [23]
- Lee Barron [22]
- Gus McCarthy [20]
One of the exciting things about Sheehan and Kelleher is that they’re both still only 25, meaning there is lots of time for them to keep improving. Sheehan leads the way at present but there’s no doubt Kelleher has his sights set on being the number one in the number two shirt for province and country.
Given their relative youth, it’s a point of strength for Leinster and Ireland. Sheehan had the chance to move to Munster before his most recent contract renewal in Leinster – when Kelleher was ahead – but decided to stay with his native province and both players have spoken about the value of their competition.
Now looking to challenge that established pair are 23-year-old John McKee and 22-year-old Lee Barron, both of whom are part of Leinster’s senior squad. A native of Ulster who came through Campbell College in Belfast before switching to Leinster, McKee has already made three appearances in the Champions Cup. Barron has impressed in recent weeks and is very much in the physical mould of Sheehan, who is also 6ft 3ins and extremely agile.
Leinster have another excellent prospect at hooker in academy man Gus McCarthy, who shone as the captain of the Ireland U20s this year, leading them to a Grand Slam and a World Cup final. His athleticism caught the eye for Richie Murphy’s side.
Leo Cullen’s side have had another hooker around recently, with Clontarf’s Dylan Donnellan having linked up with them and made his debut while McKee and McCarthy were injured and Sheehan and Kelleher had yet to return after the World Cup.
Ulster:
- Rob Herring [33]
- Tom Stewart [22]
- John Andrew [30]
- James McCormick [21]
- Zac Solomon [19]
- Henry Walker [18]
Who is Ulster’s first-choice hooker? Rob Herring and Tom Stewart battled it out for that role last season and the competition will only be stronger in this campaign.
33-year-old Herring recently became the province’s all-time record caps holder and showed his continuing class on that occasion against Munster, producing a big turnover to seal their win in Belfast. He played twice for Ireland at the World Cup, starting against Romania, but has been third in Farrell’s pecking order behind Sheehan and Kelleher.
Herring held off the challenge from Stewart for that third hooker spot in the World Cup squad, but it’s clear that the 22-year-old is a coming force in Irish rugby. His size, dynamism, handling skill, and maturity mean he’s sure to add to his two Ireland caps over the next few years. Stewart has even captained Ulster early this season in a sign of his standing within Dan McFarland’s squad.
John Andrew remains a reliable presence for Ulster at the age of 30, while McFarland will be hoping to see the as-yet uncapped 21-year-old James McCormick make progress this season.
There are two hookers in Ulster’s academy in Ireland U19 international Zac Solomon, who also came through Campbell College, and the Irish-qualified Henry Walker, who played for Saracens before moving to Ireland. He has been capped by the Ireland U18s.
Munster:
- Diarmuid Barron [25]
- Niall Scannell [31]
- Scott Buckley [23]
- Chris Moore [23]
- Eoghan Clarke [25]
- Max Clein [20]
There has been something of a changing of the guard at hooker in Munster this year, with 25-year-old Diarmuid Barron progressing into the role of the starting number two.
While the experienced Niall Scannell is out injured at the moment, there’s no doubt that Barron has taken his game to another level in 2023. He trained with Ireland during their World Cup preparation, having played for Ireland A and Emerging Ireland last season, so is certainly a player Farrell has been watching closely.
Scannell appeared to be out of the Ireland mix under Farrell until he was an injury call-up during last year’s tour of New Zealand. The Cork man ended up impressing in both midweek games against the Maoris, but he hasn’t featured with Ireland again since.
Behind that senior duo, 23-year-old Scott Buckley is aiming to continue racking up appearances for Graham Rowntree’s side, while the Irish-qualified Chris Moore recently made his debut for the province, having been unused in his first season after moving from England.
With Scannell still sidelined by his groin injury, Munster have signed their former academy hooker Eoghan Clarke on a short-term deal. The 25-year-old impressed for Jersey Reds in the English Championship before they ceased trading recently.
Munster’s academy now includes 20-year-old Max Clein, who joined after helping the Ireland U20s to the World Cup final earlier this year. Having come through Garryowen, Clein won the Munster Schools Senior Cup with Crescent College Comprehensive in 2022.
Connacht:
- Dave Heffernan [32]
- Dylan Tierney-Martin [24]
- Tadgh McElroy [26]
- Eoin de Buitléar [22]
- Declan Moore [27]
- Matthew Victory [20]
Last season was a big one in the career of Dylan Tierney-Martin, who started to really fulfill the rich promise he had shown for the Ireland U20s back in 2019. As he accumulated starts, the Galway man showed that he can be an abrasive, physical, accurate presence at hooker. The 24-year-old also toured with Emerging Ireland, highlighting that he is on the Irish coaches’ radar too.
Tierney-Martin is now pushing to be Connacht’s first-choice hooker, a role that the experienced Dave Heffernan has filled in recent seasons. The 32-year-old has seven Ireland caps and most recently played off the bench in one of the Tests down in New Zealand last year, as well as starting for the Ireland A team in November 2022.
Ulster man Stewart has pushed past Heffernan in Ireland’s depth chart, however, and now that he’s back from injury, Heffernan will be keen to ensure that Tierney-Martin isn’t able to do the same in Connacht.
With Heffernan sidelined, the westerners increased their options at hooker by signing Tadgh McElroy on a short-term deal. The Dundalk man impressed for the Ireland U20s in 2017 and then joined the Saracens academy before spells with Bristol, Ealing, London Irish, and Leinster. 25-year-old McElroy has done well in his five appearances for Connacht so far, showing his confrontational edge.
22-year-old from Eoin de Buitléar from An Cheathrú Rua is also now on a senior contract and has played for the province three times. The former Ireland U20 international will be hoping to get a few more chances this year.
Ulster’s Declan Moore signed for Connacht on loan ahead of this season, while the province’s academy includes Matthew Victory, who won a Leinster Schools Senior Cup with St Michael’s College, Dublin before switching to Connacht. Injury denied Victory the chance to feature with this year’s Ireland U20s.
- This article was updated at 10.26pm to correct an error stating that Munster’s academy did not include a hooker. Max Clein was confirmed as a member of the Munster academy last month.
