The look on Dan Sheehan’s face. He is up at the front of the room, a nest of microphones on the table in front. He’s probably expecting to answer hamstring questions, having tweaked his and missed Ireland’s last Six Nations Championship win over France.
Towards the end the girl with a polite English accent pops up and asks about Irish number eight Caelan Doris being an “absolute animal”.
“He’s a good bloke,” answers Sheehan straight faced. “He’s one of my good mates. I think everyone enjoys him in the squad on a personal level and he’s able to turn it on game day but, like Ross [Byrne] said, it hasn’t come out of chance. He’s not a weekend player.”
It’s a smile on Sheehan’s face. But it’s cagey too in a WTF kind of way. Outhalf Byrne, sitting beside the Irish hooker, is metaphorically inching his chair backwards away from the cameras.
His parents are both psychotherapists, is he the team shrink, she then asks about Doris.
“Ha ha, you’d have to ask him that,” says Byrne. “Maybe going forward, yeah.”
Everything in Irish rugby is going forward, rarely back. The train chugs on. Byrne may or may not play at outhalf in Rome on Saturday against Italy. At this stage of the week he won’t reveal.
“I’ll find out,” he says. End of.
Sheehan is likely to play a part in the frontrow as Rob Herring is recovering from the illegal car crash event with one of the biggest players in world rugby, French prop Uino Atonio. So Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher it seems to be for frontrow shifts at the weekend after a few weeks where the hooker door has been revolving.
Kelleher got injured, then Sheehan injured a hamstring and Herring is body slammed as 22-year-old Tom Stewart came in before being released back to Ulster.
“I think a few years ago there wasn’t as much depth at hooker, and now there’s a good few lads, young lads coming through, of world class standard,” says Sheehan. “It’s probably the best. People might get comfortable if they don’t have someone pushing behind, and there’s certainly people pushing in behind. It drives standards and makes sure we keep it competitive.
“Injuries will come around to everyone and it’s how we deal with them,” he says of the hamstring. “There are instances where you can be in the right place at the right time. But I think you create your own luck. I don’t think luck is a big part of international rugby.”
But luck, bad luck, is having the questions you would much prefer to have directed at James Lowe being directed at you. Have you had any fights with Byrne, Sheehan is asked. Lowe, actually is outside the door answering other questions.
The Irish winger was asked a few years ago if Johnny Sexton was the best outhalf in the world. His answer was “yeah, ask Johnny and he’ll tell you himself. Can’t shut him up.” Boom boom.
“I haven’t had a fight with him yet! Over the last few years I’ve probably played most of my rugby under Ross at 10,” replied Sheehan. “I think probably the media were harsh on him over the last few years because from what I saw inside the doors of Leinster and Ireland was someone who is calm and can make plays happen.
“I think he has everything in the locker. His game control and his ability to see space and managing the pack around him. I think most good 10s have it and Ross definitely has it.”
There’s a knockabout feel to the day. Sheehan says he doesn’t see himself as a try-scoring hooker, although, he has the knack. “No,” he says when asked if he’s looking at Kellehers’ try-scoring numbers, trying to match them.
Kelleher has 19 caps and has scored six tries, while Sheehan has two tries from 14 Irish outings.
“I think I’m comfortable in the wider channels,” says Sheehan, one of the most dynamic hookers playing in the championship.“I enjoy running with the ball. I feel my skill set is good, but I don’t think you can focus on being a try-scorer. Those opportunities will come when you play the shape. If you go outside trying to look for tries, you just get in the way. It sort of goes against the team.”
As the session draws to a close the pair have been defensive, laughed nervously and have been as honest as they can be before the team announcement. At the end the girl with the polite accent pops up with the psychotherapist parents and Doris again. You haven’t sat in his room to tell him your problems then, she asks the Irish hooker.
“Not yet,” quips Sheehan.
