‘Ellis Genge? You go from despising people to having coffee': Dan Sheehan on Lions magic

The Guardian

19 hours ago

The best way to sum up the unique dynamic of a British & Irish Lions tour is to consult a player experiencing it for the first time. 'It's mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around to go for a coffee with them,' says Ireland's straight-talking hooker Dan Sheehan, admitting he had not been expecting to bond instantly with his new English mate Ellis Genge. 'He's definitely someone that surprises you that he's not a dickhead.'
Welcome to the psychological maze that is the first week of a Lions tour on the other side of the world. Dealing with jet lag is the easy part. Even for top players like the 26-year-old Sheehan, a probable Test starter, the need to rub shoulders – often literally – with previously sworn enemies and forging unlikely alliances is a challenge in itself. 'Genge would be a good one. He's obviously a passionate, animated player for England and someone who we would consider, in an Irish jersey, as a talisman and someone we'd need to target.
'But that's been one of the most enjoyable parts, just getting to know new people. We've got on very well. It's probably just that rugby blokes are good blokes. You can turn on the hatred when you want it. [But] our team social after the admin day in Dublin broke the ice. There's no awkward moments any more, you get past the small chat. You're going to get to understand people's stories and what's behind them. And he [Genge] is a funny bloke off the pitch. I think everyone loves his energy and humour. You can see the passion he brings to meetings. He's very real and says it how it is.'
The next performance-enhancing trick is to find a roommate who – how to put this politely? – snores less loudly than Pierre Schoeman. 'I'm with Sione Tuipulotu now so I'm happier,' confides a relieved Sheehan. 'Pierre was snoring his head off … I was just pretending I was sleeping in the morning! I had a good sleep last night with Sione.'
Along with a few bonding beers – 'All the forced fun can be a bit tedious at times; sometimes you just need to break it down' – the other prerequisite is understanding that a Lions tour develops at 100mph. Making a good early impression is crucial, regardless of what Sheehan might have done this year for Ireland and Leinster since returning from injury. 'Sometimes it is tricky jumping between green, blue and now red. I suppose it's just about being present. Hopefully I'll get a chance this week to show why I was picked, put my best step forward and do what's best for the team. Sometimes if you haven't played yet you feel like a bit of an impostor.'
Most would argue that, on the contrary, Sheehan is the real deal: a mobile yet forceful forward precision-engineered for the modern game who has scored 15 tries in his 32 Tests. Simon Easterby, the Lions forwards coach, reckons the Leinster hooker could also do a job in the back row, or in midfield where Ben Earl has operated at times for England. There is a part of Sheehan that likes the idea. 'I'd like to back my skill set and what I can do but, in an international setup, would I be good enough? I have no idea. I would like to think I could give it a lash.'
Either way he is looking to follow in the footsteps of Keith Wood and Shane Byrne as an Irish Test Lions hooker, though he must be the first to have spent part of his childhood in Romania. Sheehan's father was working in beer sales for Heineken and the family – Dan is one of four siblings – spent three years in the country. The kids were enrolled at an American school in Bucharest, playing everything from baseball and basketball to volleyball and badminton. 'That definitely impacted my skill set,' suggests Sheehan, who is also a single-figure handicapper at golf. 'My parents were big on just giving anything a go.'
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The result is a roaming presence who, given the chance, will take the game to the Wallabies. 'I enjoy playing attacking rugby in the loose, whether it be on the edges or through the middle. It would be a shame if I constricted that into a traditional tight-five hooker style of play.' He also has a keen sense of what the head coach, Andy Farrell, will want to see against Western Force on Saturday following last week's unscheduled defeat by Argentina in Dublin.
'It's definitely about getting the four different nations connected. Test rugby is so detailed, every inch of the game we play today is so hyper-detailed that it's tricky to do in two weeks. You probably saw that in Dublin. There's so much talent in the room and how we get it on to the pitch is the main challenge of the tour. Hopefully we'll now see an improvement every Saturday and Wednesday.'