Latest news with #DanSheehan
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leinster play the South African way to claim URC title
A zinger of a sporting weekend, that. And Leinster ended it with a shiny trophy after seeing off the Bulls in the URC final at Croke Park . ' They'll still have a few regrets about the season – well one game anyway ,' writes Gerry Thornley, but 'this emphatic triumph was a mighty weight off their shoulders'. Gerry heard from coaches and players after the final, among them an elated Dan Sheehan , while John O'Sullivan picked out five things we learned from the game , Leinster's scrum driving them to victory. ' Leinster played the South African way and beat Bulls at their own game,' says Nathan Johns in his tactical analysis of the contest. There won't be much time for Leinster's batch of Lions to rest up, they have that trip to Australia to prepare for. Considering Australia have lost seven of their last 10 Test matches , Denis Walsh wonders 'how bad would the Lions need to be for the upcoming Test series to be competitive?' There was no end of drama in the football championship over the weekend, the peak of it taking place at Hyde Park where Mayo's season was ended by Donegal's Ciarán Moore in the dying seconds. They went out 'in maybe the most Mayo way possible,' writes Malachy Clerkin in his round-up of the group deciders; Mayo, Roscommon, Derry and Clare 'the counties who couldn't escape the guillotine's blade'. Seán Moran was in Hyde Park to see Mayo hearts left in smithereens , Malachy hearing from Jim McGuinness after the game, the Donegal manager none too pleased about the choice of venue for the game. READ MORE In the same group, Tyrone's win over Cavan put them safely through to the knockout phase, but Derry bowed out after their defeat by Dublin, Galway surviving thanks to their victory over Armagh . In Group Two, Meath and Kerry advance , the former beating the latter for the first time in the championship since 2001, Cork going through with them after seeing off Roscommon . And in Group Three, Leinster champions Louth's 2025 odyssey continues after their win over Clare, they're through along with Monaghan and Down . This morning's draw for the preliminary quarter-finals ? Muireann Duffy brings you all the pairings. In golf, Philip Reid was over at Oakmont to see JJ Spaun win the US Open , but Rory McIlroy still hasn't shaken off his Masters-winning hangover continues. ' I climbed my Everest in April , and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb,' he said. He's hoping he can reach the summit again at the Open in Portrush. And in athletics, Ian O'Riordan reports on Sophie O'Sullivan having a happy time of it at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Oregon, the University of Washington student winning the 1,500m title. Like mother, like daughter. TV Watch : TG4 have the highlights from a stupendously eventful GAA weekend this evening (8pm) and RTÉ 2's Against the Head will look back at Leinster's URC final triumph (8pm).
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Leinster contingent reports for duty with British and Irish Lions
Leinster's URC title-winning British and Irish Lions contingent has put their weekend's celebrations to bed and joined up with Andy Farrell's touring party at their Dublin base ahead of Friday's first game against Argentina in the Aviva Stadium. All told, there are a dozen boys in blue switching to red. That includes Tadhg Furlong who hasn't played since early May due to a calf strain. There had been fears that the prop might miss the trip to Australia altogether. Read More Dan Sheehan: Leinster dozen avoid being 'laughing stock' of Lions camp by winning URC title Also in camp are Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan who, like Furlong, watched Saturday's defeat of the Bulls from the Croke Park stands, and James Ryan who was replaced early in that second-half. The squad has also been boosted by the arrival of those players who played in the Premiership final between Bath and Leicester Tigers in London two days ago , including out-half Finn Russell and Ollie Chessum. The only player named in the squad last month yet to report for duty is Scotland's Blair Kinghorn who is still engaged in the Top 14 playoffs with Toulouse. Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour will train with the Lions on Monday before returning to their clubs. Players joining the Lions squad on Monday Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England), Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839, Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818, Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England), Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland), Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) and Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835.
The Irish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Keep the abuse coming, we don't mind' – Leo Cullen's pointed message to Leinster critics after URC triumph
LEO CULLEN insists the haters can keep abusing Leinster because it is water off a duck's back. But Jack Conan and Dan Sheehan admitted that breaking their trophy duck is a big deal. 2 Leo Cullen's side ended a four-year trophy drought at Croke Park 2 It was the first trophy Dan Sheehan has won with the province The Blues were crowned URC champions on Saturday night by It was And the pressure was on this season following the shock Euro last-four defeat by Northampton. That put the focus on Cullen's side that boasts the bulk of the Ireland team as well as two of the world's best imports in All Black Read More On Irish Sport Bulls coach Jake White insisted his pre-match comment about effectively facing Ireland — eight of the starting XV on Saturday were also Lions — was not a criticism. Captain Conan said: 'They came out with a lot of stuff in the media during the week about it's Ireland versus the Bulls. 'So we said, 'Right, let's not disappoint them, let's be at our best, let's give Irish rugby' and I thought we did that. 'I don't know if I had too many collisions out there, but I was absolutely loving seeing the lads whack people and forcing them back.' Most read in Rugby Union Leinster set the tone by scoring three unanswered tries in the first half and producing a brilliant 18-phase stop to deny Bulls a try before the break. The display will also have silenced the critics who questioned whether Leinster, who have an embarrassment of playing riches, lacked the character to win. Inside Leinster's boozy celebrations as stars dance on team bus while leaving Croke Park as URC champs Cullen, 47, has been head coach for a decade and led the Blues to Champions Cup glory and four URC titles before their recent struggles. And he never had any doubt that they were on the brink of success. The former lock said: 'We've lost in different ways, at the death, after extra-time, you've just got to keep putting ourselves in that position and keep pushing the boundaries of what we do. 'You get criticism when you lose, it still doesn't take away what we actually . . . personally speaking, what I love doing. 'Pressure is great, it's part and parcel of sport. It's a great way to feel alive, we're lucky to be involved. Keep the abuse coming, we don't mind — thick skins.' RELIEF AMONG PLAYERS But Conan, 32, acknowledged that lifting silverware again with Leinster was important for the present and future. He said: 'We spoke a lot in the last few weeks . . . so many lads here have never won anything for Leinster. 'They've won a load of stuff for Ireland, they've won Grand Slams, Triple Crowns and things, but have never won anything for Leinster.' Dan Sheehan is one of those as the 2021 season was his rookie year when he was largely a bit-part player. The hooker, 26, said: 'This is the first one that I feel properly a part of. It was definitely on my mind over the last couple of years. 'You work so hard during the season and you're spending the majority of your time with this group of players. It gives us a boost, I think it gets the monkey off the back and it is incredibly rewarding.'
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
No Lions 'laughing stock' matter as Dan Sheehan and Leinster bear winners medals
Dan Sheehan will arrive into British and Irish Lions camp today with the broadest smile, feeling like a real winner with Leinster at last. Andy Farrell's side take on Argentina this Friday at Aviva Stadium but the nine Leinster men who played in the BKT URC final may be rested. Having featured mostly off the bench the last time Leinster won the then-Pro14 title in 2021, the hooker didn't play in the final and has had to endure numerous European and URC knockout blows since. "[It's] the first one that I feel properly a part of," the 26-year-old forward told reporters after Saturday's 32-7 win over Bulls at Croke Park. "It was definitely on my mind over the last couple of years that you work so hard during the season and you're spending the majority of your time with this group of players and, you know, it hasn't changed a whole lot. "So the hunger was there and I think you saw from the first whistle. Incredibly enjoyable, incredibly rewarding. "It's a really tough competition to win, you have to play an incredible amount of games. "You have to work your asses off with a full squad to get that home advantage and I thought we did a great job managing the energy levels throughout the last weeks and peaking at the right times. "To get a URC win is something really special." Talk about a mood-changer. Such has been the expectation on Leinster over the last four seasons, Sheehan suggested that coming into national camp, where they have been incredibly successful, came with a trepidation that he feels might have spread to Lions, had they stuttered against the Bulls. He said: "It would have been a sickener to go into camp there with nothing after missing the first two weeks, coming away with nothing and we'd probably be the laughing stock of the group again. "But we've got the medal now. "We were so hungry as a group, to get silverware, to win the URC, that we parked [the Lions talk] pretty easy. "We were left alone by the Lions, we didn't hear a thing from them which is exactly the way we wanted it to be; we knew we needed to get a job done and focus solely on the URC and if you look too far into the future you'll slip up. "We did a good job as a group, addressing it early when it was first announced, say congrats and move on, we're committing to this fully." Leinster looked like their usual selves as they raced into a 19-0 half-time, capped off by a ferocious goalline stand that denied the Bulls a foothold. "[A fast start] something we focussed on these last two weeks," said the Dubliner (above), who made his 73rd Leinster appearance in front of 46,127 at GAA HQ. "Last week [against Glasgow] you saw we got a penalty straight off the kickoff after a big collision and the approach was the same this week, same sort of thing, kick off, lay into them, dominant collisions and scrum penalties. "It just puts a seed of doubt, I suppose, in the opposition's head, especially when you're at home and the crowd is getting behind you straight away. "And you could feel that off the crowd and the crowd here were unbelievable. They got in behind us in those crucial moments. "There was that sort of moment for maybe 10 minutes before half time when we were parked on our line and it was probably some of the most physical rugby we've been a part of this year. "How rewarding it was not to let them in then. I think that gave the crowd a lift. It definitely gave us a lift." Meanwhile, Sheehan also paid tribute to Ross Byrne (above), who played his last game for Leinster after 10 years with the province. The out-half, who scored a conversion and assisted Fintan Gunne's try, was not spared any criticism over the last number of years as the province suffered defeats in European finals and URC semi-finals. The 30-year-old will move to Gloucester this summer after playing 186 matches for Leinster. "Ross is an unbelievable player, an unbelievable professional, and the standards he drives are like no one else in our group at the minute," said Sheehan. "I think he gets a hard time over the last 10 years and he doesn't give a f***, really, and he just gets on with it. "He loves Leinster, and he loves winning, and he loves the group and I was happy for him. "He got a good reception from the crowd and he'll be truly missed as a person in the changing room as someone that drives what we try to do incredibly well. "Similar to a sort of Johnny Sexton character, of just being ruthless with with what we expect of each other and holding people accountable." Elsewhere, Leinster also said that scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, who was a late withdrawal on Saturday morning, was suffering from a dead leg picked up in the semi-final win over Glasgow.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dan Sheehan admits it would have been ‘a sickener' to join Lions camp on back of URC final loss
Earning a record dozen places in the British & Irish Lions squad looked like a double-edged sword for Leinster's shot at redemption in the United Rugby Championship (URC) run-in. Jamison Gibson-Park joined Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong, as well as injured captain Caelan Doris, in the stands for Saturday's final. Despite such an array of unavailable talent, the team convincingly clinched a first trophy in four seasons . Hunger for silverware superseded that significant distraction. For all the successes some of them have enjoyed at Test level, 15 of the match-day 23 in Saturday's 32-7 win over the Bulls at Croke Park didn't play in the 2021 Grand Final win over Munster at an empty Aviva Stadium. Dan Sheehan was one of those 15 and, having only started two games in that 2020-21 season, this felt like his first true winners' medal for the province. READ MORE '[This is] the first one that I feel properly a part of,' he said. 'It was definitely on my mind over the last couple of years that you work so hard during the season and you're spending the majority of your time with this group of players and it hasn't changed a whole lot. 'So, the hunger was there today and I think you saw from the first whistle. Incredibly enjoyable, incredibly rewarding. That feeling after the final whistle went for Cian Healy, for Ross (Byrne), for Liam (Turner) and for Rob (Russell), all the lads leaving us. It gives us a boost, I think, and gets the monkey off the back.' Addressing the issue of Leinster's Lions contingent, Sheehan added: 'I think we were so hungry as a group to get silverware, to win a URC, that we parked it pretty easily. Leinster's Dan Sheehan holds off the challenge of Bulls' Embrose Papier. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'We were left alone by the Lions. We didn't hear a thing from them, which is exactly the way we wanted it to be and we could just solely focus on the URC. We knew that we needed to get a job done and we needed to focus solely on the URC. If you look too far in the future, you'll slip up. 'I think we did a good job as a group by addressing it early. When it (the Lions squad) was first announced, it was important to say congrats and 'right, move on – we're committing to this fully'.' As the biggest suppliers to the Lions squad, it's far more preferable to finally acquaint themselves with their new squadmates in Dublin this week as URC champions than with another near-miss. 'Yeah, it would have been a sickener to go into camp there with nothing after missing the first two weeks of camp. But we've got the medal now and will enjoy tonight and enjoy tomorrow hopefully,' said Sheehan in expectation of the celebrations and farewells. Dan Sheehan drinks from the URC trophy in the dressingroom after Saturday's final. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho For 46,127 to lend the final a worthy sense of grandness was a remarkable turn-out at just six days' notice. The crowd were also engaged by every nuance of the game and the occasion; witness the reception afforded Ross Byrne for his introduction in the 69th minute. It was entirely fitting that Byrne would sign off with a try assist for Fintan Gunne. He closed out the scoring with his sole kick when landing the conversion in his final game for Leinster before joining Gloucester. So, Leinster's third highest points scorer brought his haul to 1,196 over the last decade. That conversion drew louder approval than would ordinarily be the case. As the players received their medals, the biggest cheer was also reserved for Byrne. Leinster's Dan Sheehan and Ross Byrne celebrate with the URC trophy at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'Ross is an unbelievable player, an unbelievable professional and the standards he drives are like no one else in our group at the minute,' said Sheehan. 'I think he gets a hard time over the last ten years and he doesn't give a f**k, really. He just gets on with it. He loves Leinster, he loves winning and he loves the group. I was happy for him today. 'He got a good reception from the crowd and he'll be truly missed as a person in the changing room, as someone that drives what we try to do incredibly well, similar to a sort of Johnny Sexton character, of just being ruthless with what we expect of each other and holding people accountable. 'But also, a great man off the field as well.'
