When he dreamt of being Ireland captain, Dan Sheehan didn’t know that deciding when lunch should be would be part of the remit. Now he does.
Such decisions were among the less glamorous duties of leading Andy Farrell’s squad on the summer tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The Leinster hooker had captained Ireland before, but taking the armband for an extended period brought new responsibilities, some far removed from what happens on the pitch.
“You almost become the logistics manager of the team in some ways,” Sheehan said. “A lot of people, whether it be players or staff, asking you what time meetings are on and what you think of putting a meeting in here or lunch at this time.”
RM Block
It was a different perspective for the 28-year-old and one he enjoyed. “I’d be of the mindset to be keeping things more simple rather than over-complicating things, so it was nice to be able to even take things out of the schedule and just simplify things,” he said.
That time away confirmed to Sheehan that leadership brings an increased internal expectation that helps to sharpen his own performance. He believes his team-mates are more inclined to follow what he does than by any grand speechmaking.
“It excites me that I have that position to lead and put my own spin on things. It makes me get the best out of myself, which is probably the most important thing,” he said.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to shout the changing room down with this emotional speech. The best way I can go about leading is how I show up to training, the intent I bring. If I’m expecting lads to get off the line and hit people, I need to do it first.”
With Caelan Doris not expected to return until the new year, it is likely Farrell will name Sheehan in the role again for the resumption of the Nations Championship next month.
Like Ireland, Leinster have similarly retained a leadership group that Sheehan says has been strong for several years, with responsibility rotating depending on the game, while Doris remains a central presence despite his injury.
“He’s definitely the club captain that everyone looks up to,” Sheehan said. “He’s very diligent at making sure that he stays connected while out injured. We’ve got a lot of good leaders. It gets the most out of a number of other people, rather than just relying on Caelan or myself or whoever is captain.”
Leinster’s move back to the redeveloped Laya Arena has generated excitement in advance of Saturday’s game against Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship. Sheehan’s childhood memories of the RDS have centred on the occasion rather than an interest in watching the rugby itself.
“But then I remember distinctly being in the grandstand and watching Brian O’Driscoll going down that right wing, I think it was against Wasps, and that double kick. That’s the one that stands out to me,” he said.
“If you got to go to a game you’d be telling everyone in class, so we need to make sure we get that sense of occasion back because it’s a nice, intimate ground with good access to players. You feel like you’re on the pitch.”
His senior debut there stands out as a playing highlight, although it was in front of an empty ground during Covid against Zebre.
“I remember the interview after, I was effing and blinding because I was very untrained,” Sheehan said.
“A lot of early memories for players and their careers are in the Laya Arena.
“Then you think of the European games. We’ve played Gloucester and Sale. There was a frozen pitch – I remember Leo [Cullen] leaving these lights around the pitch for the full day before.
“It’s a proper club ground, edgy and not perfect, which is what a home ground should feel like. Sometimes you go to these big stadiums, it’s all too manicured, but this is a club ground. We want to make sure that it feels a bit special and there’s a bit of history there, which you can feed off.
“It’s definitely been a theme to make sure that we hit the ground running. We should have a full house there on Saturday. Everyone’s looking forward to it.”
The players are equally enthusiastic about having their Champions Cup pool games there. “It’s a closer, more intimate feel,” Sheehan said. “We all look back on nice European days in the Laya Arena and hopefully we can replicate the same.”
