Last week Dan Sheehan signed a new contract that will keep him with Leinster for the next three years. The Irish hooker will be 30 before he must again decide what’s best for his career.
That’s good news for Leinster coach Leo Cullen and Irish coach Andy Farrell, with Sheehan staying around Dublin for much the same reason as many of the Leinster players do.
“It’s all I know in some ways,” he says.
Leinster’s outhalf dilemma
Sheehan signed his first professional contract with Leinster in 2020 having played in school with Clongowes, then Trinity and Lansdowne. He hasn’t strayed too far.
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An uptick at the end of the Six Nations and looking towards a World Cup next year made it easier for him to sign up again with Leinster’s current wobbly form no hindrance. Leinster, this season, are a work in progress with a chance to reset against Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Friday night after falling 38-17 to Glasgow on the road last weekend.
“I crave the big days that I know these two squads can have,” says Sheehan. “It (the contract) was an easy decision, and it was kind of nice to get it over the line.
“I’m excited now. We have a massive block of games that we need to make sure we get right and start building some good performances.
“But then also with Ireland. We’re building towards the World Cup, and I think we’re going in the right direction after a tricky couple of months. The potential in the two squads is massive.”
Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki also signed new deals last week. Announced on the same day, the four signatures sent a message of solidarity and confidence in the Irish system with Farrell at the helm.
“It’s kind of a weird thing because it’s quite individual, the whole process,” says Sheehan.
“I think everyone’s happy to be in both squads that they’re in. There is a good vibe in Irish rugby at the minute. Everyone wants to be a part of it and is craving to be a part of it.”
A key missing name is that of James Lowe, while Farrell is contracted until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will take him to eight years with the Irish team. Farrell came in after the 2019 World Cup in Japan and recently distanced himself from reports linking him with a move to Premiership club Saracens, where he previously played and coached.
“He’s up after the World Cup? I haven’t thought about that,” says Sheehan. “We’re trying to create a team now that’s going to take us forward for a World Cup. We obviously haven’t spoken about anything past a World Cup because it’s as far away as it is.
“Andy has been unbelievable for us and for me. He says it how it is and treats you as a proper human. People respect that. We’re all smart, good people that he understands. He gets the most out of us, and he’s been a massive part of Irish rugby.”
How the Six Nations was transformed from a mystifyingly low energy opening against France, who crushed Ireland 36-14 in Paris, to a Triple Crown winning side is one of the habits Sheehan hopes can be transferred to Leinster.
Friday night’s game against Scarlets is followed by the round of 16 Champions Cup against Edinburgh on Sunday week. As the season begins to burn off teams in both competitions, any slip ups now will sting harder than Leinster’s opening two defeats last September in South Africa to the Stormers and Bulls.
“I was quite proud about how we got through. After that French loss, it was tough. We really had to stick together as a squad and make sure that people didn’t lose belief,” says Sheehan.
“But we didn’t change a whole lot of details. It was mainly how we did it. Our game plan isn’t that sophisticated. But if you go in 80 per cent, it looks awful. The whole focus was making sure everything we say we’re going to do, we’re going to do at 100 per cent.
“We’re kind of in a similar boat now in Leinster. We’re off the back of a disappointing first game of the block against Glasgow. Maybe [it’s] a lack of intention and not really getting after the game early enough. Against good teams like Glasgow and France, the game gets away very quick. The scoreline will flatter them.”
A must win match this week before two weekends of knockout Champions Cup and the pressure phase has arrived for Leinster.
“I crave the big days,” says Sheehan. That’s what he signed up for.
