DAN SHEEHAN HAS always come across as the kind of character who takes things in his stride.
He is determined and resilient, as his path to being named Ireland captain shows, but the 26-year-old also has a calm air about him.
So taking on the captaincy for the first time tomorrow against Wales in the Six Nations hasn’t been causing him too much stress so far. There might be tricky moments out on the pitch in Cardiff but Sheehan is focusing on the pride of being picked for the job as he follows in the footsteps of Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, and Caelan Doris.
“It’s a massive honour,” said Sheehan after Ireland’s captain’s run at the Principality Stadium this afternoon.
“When I think of the names that are on that list that have went before me, and the last three especially that I have experienced in Caelan, Pete, and Johnny, obviously there are few in there as well with Tadhg, these are sort of role models for me so to be put on the same list is a big deal.
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“But I’ve made a point to myself to not think about it too much and take it day by day. I’m very comfortable in the group, it hasn’t got to me too much and I’ve enjoyed the week It’s been nice.
“My phone has been blowing up and sorry if I haven’t got back to anyone yet! We’ve had a great week’s prep and everyone is ready for tomorrow.”
Sheehan at the Principality Stadium today. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The Irish captaincy is the latest step up for Sheehan and it’s not something he would have imagined back when he was a young fella.
“Dad would have got us in at a very young age, down in Bective,” said Sheehan of his rugby roots.
“As the years went onm I got a bit more serious but it wasn’t until I left school that I really took it seriously and saw that I might have a shot at going in pro. We were always a massive rugby family, it’s all we talked about and we’d be excited going to these games and watching these games on Saturdays, especially Six Nations.
“Kind of weird to look back through the eyes of a child and it’s nice to be here now and I’m absolutely loving everything that has to go with the team and yeah, thrilled to be here.”
Speaking of his youth, the old photos of a four-year-old Sheehan with the late, great Jonah Lomu have been doing the rounds again in recent days.
Sheehan sported the same distinctive haircut as Lomu in those pictures from 2003.
“I actually think it was as simple as a family connection, I think my auntie was in a marketing agency at the time,” said Sheehan of how it came about.
“They needed a kid willing to shave his head and my parents willingly put me forward!
“I have a vague memory of it. I was very young but I remember it being pretty cool. I remember rocking back into school the next day with the haircut and getting a good giggle out of the lads.”
The roof will be closed tomorrow in Cardiff. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The message Sheehan has been preaching to his team-mates this week is about Ireland’s performance.
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A win would mean their tilt at the Grand Slam would pick up even more momentum and Ireland are seen as heavy favourites against a Welsh side who have lost 14 games in a row.
But Sheehan insisted that the outcome isn’t the focus.
“That’s the only thing on my mind, to get a performance,” he said. “We’ve gone well the last two weeks, but only at times and we’ve definitely had patches in the games where we weren’t at our best and there was some areas that we really need to work on to get an 80-minute performance.
“It’s one of the things we’ve been talking about, making sure we start well and then continue that the whole game. All eyes on are tomorrow and there has not been one word talked about any other game. This is massive for us.
“It’s a great stadium to play in. We’ve talked about how passionate the Welsh fans are, or maybe daunting, and how beautiful that stadium is to play rugby in. So everyone is really excited about tomorrow.”
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'My phone has been blowing up. Sorry if I haven’t got back to anyone!'
DAN SHEEHAN HAS always come across as the kind of character who takes things in his stride.
He is determined and resilient, as his path to being named Ireland captain shows, but the 26-year-old also has a calm air about him.
So taking on the captaincy for the first time tomorrow against Wales in the Six Nations hasn’t been causing him too much stress so far. There might be tricky moments out on the pitch in Cardiff but Sheehan is focusing on the pride of being picked for the job as he follows in the footsteps of Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, and Caelan Doris.
“It’s a massive honour,” said Sheehan after Ireland’s captain’s run at the Principality Stadium this afternoon.
“When I think of the names that are on that list that have went before me, and the last three especially that I have experienced in Caelan, Pete, and Johnny, obviously there are few in there as well with Tadhg, these are sort of role models for me so to be put on the same list is a big deal.
“But I’ve made a point to myself to not think about it too much and take it day by day. I’m very comfortable in the group, it hasn’t got to me too much and I’ve enjoyed the week It’s been nice.
“My phone has been blowing up and sorry if I haven’t got back to anyone yet! We’ve had a great week’s prep and everyone is ready for tomorrow.”
The Irish captaincy is the latest step up for Sheehan and it’s not something he would have imagined back when he was a young fella.
“Dad would have got us in at a very young age, down in Bective,” said Sheehan of his rugby roots.
“As the years went onm I got a bit more serious but it wasn’t until I left school that I really took it seriously and saw that I might have a shot at going in pro. We were always a massive rugby family, it’s all we talked about and we’d be excited going to these games and watching these games on Saturdays, especially Six Nations.
“Kind of weird to look back through the eyes of a child and it’s nice to be here now and I’m absolutely loving everything that has to go with the team and yeah, thrilled to be here.”
Speaking of his youth, the old photos of a four-year-old Sheehan with the late, great Jonah Lomu have been doing the rounds again in recent days.
Sheehan sported the same distinctive haircut as Lomu in those pictures from 2003.
“I actually think it was as simple as a family connection, I think my auntie was in a marketing agency at the time,” said Sheehan of how it came about.
“They needed a kid willing to shave his head and my parents willingly put me forward!
“I have a vague memory of it. I was very young but I remember it being pretty cool. I remember rocking back into school the next day with the haircut and getting a good giggle out of the lads.”
The message Sheehan has been preaching to his team-mates this week is about Ireland’s performance.
A win would mean their tilt at the Grand Slam would pick up even more momentum and Ireland are seen as heavy favourites against a Welsh side who have lost 14 games in a row.
But Sheehan insisted that the outcome isn’t the focus.
“That’s the only thing on my mind, to get a performance,” he said. “We’ve gone well the last two weeks, but only at times and we’ve definitely had patches in the games where we weren’t at our best and there was some areas that we really need to work on to get an 80-minute performance.
“It’s one of the things we’ve been talking about, making sure we start well and then continue that the whole game. All eyes on are tomorrow and there has not been one word talked about any other game. This is massive for us.
“It’s a great stadium to play in. We’ve talked about how passionate the Welsh fans are, or maybe daunting, and how beautiful that stadium is to play rugby in. So everyone is really excited about tomorrow.”
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