Ireland sweating on fitness of superstar that ‘any team would miss’ ahead of Rugby World Cup squad announcement
Ireland's Dan Sheehan with ball in hand during a Test match.
Ireland face a nervous wait to see if star hooker Dan Sheehan has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup ahead of Monday’s squad announcement.
Sheehan has been one of the form hookers in the world of late and is a key performer for the world’s number one side. However, Irish fans would have been concerned to see the Leinsterman limp off the field during the first half of last weekend’s 29-10 win over England.
Andy Farrell has since called up Munster’s Diarmuid Barron to fill the void for this weekend’s clash with Samoa in Bayonne whilst he awaits the final medical feedback on Sheehan.
Big player for Ireland
Assistant coach Mike Catt admits losing Sheehan would be a tough loss for the team, but he insists there is full backing for the other hookers.
“I think what you get from Dan, he’s one of the best hookers in the world currently, so he’s going to be missed in whatever team he plays in,” he said.
“But we’ve got full faith in Rob Herring and Ronan Kelleher and Tom Stewart.
“It gives these guys an opportunity; they’ll have a pop this weekend and, depending on the diagnosis, we’ll see how we go on the back end of it.
“But he (Sheehan) is a world-class rugby player; he’s been instrumental in terms of how to play our game, so he’d be a big loss for everybody.”
More clarity coming soon
Ireland will name their World Cup squad on Monday, with the side expecting to have a lot more clarity on the Sheehan situation before then.
“We still haven’t got a confirmation on what it is. He’s still seeing the specialist; he’s obviously being rehabbed back in Dublin,” said Catt.
“Hopefully, Andy will have a bit more of an outcome-based answer (later in the week). As we currently stand, he’s seeing specialists and getting the proper treatment.
“We’ll have a much clearer idea tomorrow or Thursday in terms of where he’s at and what his return dates are.”
READ MORE: All the 2023 Rugby World Cup squads and team updates