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Rugby Union News: Dan Sheehan, Ireland’s Rising Star Hooker, Earns Praise from Legendary Keith Wood
Published: 22:30 BST, 5 March 2024 | Updated: 22:30 BST, 5 March 2024
As a man who redefined the hooker role, Keith Wood’s assessment of the current Ireland incumbent Dan Sheehan is particularly striking. “I’m very happy to talk about Dan because at his age and with what I’ve seen from him, I think he’s easily the best I’ve seen anywhere,” said Wood, the inaugural World Rugby Player of the Year in 2001.
Wood, a force of nature for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, took the No. 2 shirt to new dimensions, rampaging forward in the loose and scoring tries. Sheehan, still only 25, is following a similar path, already with nine tries in his first 24 international caps despite playing as a hooker.
“He’s fantastically athletic. His ability to move his feet before he gets the ball offsets defenders all the time so he consistently gets over the gainline in heavy traffic,” Wood said of Sheehan. “To do that is incredibly difficult. It puts him above everyone else and as soon as he gets into any bit of space, he’s running like a centre! He seems incredibly composed.”
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Sheehan is part of the Ireland side that is supremely coached by new Lions coach Andy Farrell. The Irish team is bidding to become the first in Six Nations history to win back-to-back Grand Slams, with Sheehan a key figure in their success.
“The tries are coming as a result of the very strong maul Ireland have but I think Dan’s contribution is everywhere around the pitch,” said former Ireland captain and hooker Rory Best. “He’s an unbelievable athlete but it’s his technical ability that stands out.”
With the Rugby World Cup Final on the horizon, the spotlight will be on Sheehan and the Ireland national rugby union team as they look to cement their status as one of the world’s leading rugby union sides.
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