‘Best in the world' Dan Sheehan ‘operating at another level' as former Lion hails Ireland ace with ‘very few weaknesses'
That is
the view
of former British & Irish Lion
star
is "operating at another level".
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2
Dan Sheehan scored tries in both of the Lions' Test wins over Australia
Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
2
Ugo Monye believes Sheehan is the best hooker in the world
Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Sheen, 26, has been one of the stand-outs for the Lions during their tour of
He scored a try in each of their
According to Monye, who was a tourist in 2009, he is one of four front runners for the overall Player of the Series.
He told
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"
Monye was glowing in his appraisal of Sheehan, who has returned to the peak of his powers despite a horrific knee injury.
The Dubliner suffered an
Despite the serious nature of the injury, he was back in time for the
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He didn't look to have missed a beat as he ran in five tries - only Louis Bielle-Biarrey (8) and Tommy Freeman (6) scored more.
And Ugo Monye believes Sheehan has cemented himself as the best hooker in the world.
Katie Taylor shares inspirational message to British & Irish Lions
He added: "For Sheehan, everything stands out from his set pieces, to his attacking play, to his try-scoring ability, to his workrate on the field.
"He's in the conversation for the best hooker in world
rugby
.
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"Everything that he does. His
running
, his understanding of the game. He seems to have very few weaknesses if any at all.
"He doesn't do it now and again, he does it consistently, operating on another level.
"When you're looking for leaders and world class players, you don't need to look much further than him and what he's doing."
The Lions have not achieved a 3-0 whitewash of a series since 1927.
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And head coach
Andy Farrell
believes they have a
SHOOT FOR THE STARS
He said: 'You should never shy away from
shooting
for the stars — because you might end up on the moon.
'That's pretty good as well. That's the quality we're chasing.
'I don't think you should shy away from challenging each other and if you don't get there, then hopefully it's somewhere near.
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'It sets the mentality in my mind of what delivering means and you've always got a level to aim at.
'What's really to be shy at? Players, coaches, staff and Lions supporters, everyone — they all want to win every game.
'You can't be frightened of that. So, what does it matter? We came here to
Australia
and wanted to win a series.
'We've achieved that but have a massive responsibility to make sure we finish this off with something we promised ourselves.
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'It's a big ask but it's something we're determined to do.
'I'm definitely going to watch
Oasis
and that's why I'm going home — I'll be in the mix like everyone else.'
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He needed two operations, including an allograft for his PCL, which involves using a dead person's ankle ligament as a replacement. It took Booth 18 months, or 547 days, to make his return and it came for the Connacht Eagles against Leinster A. Nucifora and the IRFU kept faith in Booth after his injury and there was a chance he could have moved to Ulster, but Connacht was the right fit. 'Once you get back, you're like, 'Shit, I've got to get good again,'' says Booth. He raves about his time in Connacht, where he spent two seasons with the academy and then moved onto a senior deal for the 2022/23 season, during which he played twice in the URC and three times in the Challenge Cup. 'Just the smallest details were all they cared about when I was in the academy,' says Booth. 'It wasn't about the big picture. 'Andy Murphy, one of the S&C coaches at Connacht, always used to say, 'I'm not training you to be the best rugby player this weekend when you play in AIL. I'm training you to be the best rugby player in five years' time.' 'Mossy and the lads were just relentless every single day, sessions nailing the basics, catch-pass, breakdown, everything. 'You can see it the whole way up the chain to the Irish team, the smallest details, the tiniest little things like catching your passes square, keeping your feet in the breakdown, you can see where it all comes from. And it works.' Booth reckons he might settle down in Ireland when he's done with the adventures. He still chats to the crew in Connacht and Cathal Forde recently stayed with him on a visit to Sydney, payback for when Booth used to sleep on Forde's couch after nights out in Gaklway. He was saddened to be released by Connacht in 2023 and his time with Jersey Reds in the English Championship was short-lived because they folded soon after Booth joined. He ended up playing for Caldy in the Championship and then back with Sale as injury cover. Booth is now playing in Sydney with Easts. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The connection to Sydney was former Munster centre Alex McHenry, who was also in Jersey when the club went into liquidation and then won the Shute Shield with Easts last year before moving to Melbourne. Living in Bondi had an obvious appeal. As well as playing for Easts this year, Booth is coaching rugby at a school called Waverley College and leading strength classes at 98 Gym in Bondi. But this is not a permanent step out of full-time professional rugby for Booth. The Shute Shield is high-quality and Booth mentions how the likes of Cormac Daly have jumped from the club competition into Super Rugby in the recent past. Booth is also keeping his ear to the ground for any pro chances in France, the US, and Japan. 'It has been a complete breath of fresh air here, rugby-wise,' says Booth. 'Everyone's super competitive, the coaches are really good, and I'm more fired up for games and training than I've been in a long time. 'Now, I just want to play professional rugby. I'm at the point now where if I don't play for Ireland, which was always the goal, but if that doesn't happen, I'll live. 'You never know, there's people that come back at 30 and get back in, shit happens, but now I just want to play professional rugby at the highest standard I can.' Whatever comes next, it seems unlikely to be boring. Ciaran does things differently.
