Ruaidhri O'Connor's Tour Diary: Lions close ranks as Test match tension mounts while Wallabies turn to son of great to take down the tourists
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Dan Sheehan has no issue with Henry Pollock's Aussie riling comments
Dan Sheehan has no problem with Henry Pollock firing up the Wallabies by stating the aim of the British & Irish Lions is to sweep the Test series starting this weekend. He just knows the tourists now must go out there and do it for three Saturdays in a row. The Ireland hooker is expected to be named by head coach Andy Farrell on Thursday morning in the starting front row for the first Test against Australia at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. One of the safer bets for selection given his barnstorming comeback from knee reconstruction following last summer's Test series with the Springboks in South Africa and his electric start to the 2025 tour when he scored the first try on Australian soil in the first minute against Western Force, the 26-year-old was nevertheless as hungry for recognition as the next man in Farrell's touring party. 'It's just an exciting week,' Sheehan said. 'These are the three games you think about when you talk about a tour. Everyone has been trying to put their best foot forward to be selected and it is a bit of an anxious wait to see what the selection is, but all we can do is put our best foot forward in training and do what's best for the team as a collective. 'Everyone has gone up another level, and the hunger is there to make sure you're on the team-sheet and produce a win on Saturday.' That Pollock, the 20-year-old back-rower, raised the temperature of the tour by getting Aussie hackles up with his statement of intent that a 3-0 series clean sweep was 'on the table' as the 2025 tourists bid to become the best Lions team ever merely cements that motivation with the camp, for Sheehan at least. 'Every team in the world wants to be the best team they've featured in. It hasn't changed in my mindset. 'I don't think that's anything too crazy. It's obviously everyone's goal to win a Test series, and to try to be a step beyond the last squad. The way rugby has evolved, every team should be better than the last, and it's a massive goal of ours to make sure we reach our potential. 'I think if we do reach our potential we have the possibility to be one of the best teams. I think they're fair comments.' Now it has been put out there, and doubtless used as motivation in the home dressing room, Sheehan's attitude is to roll the sleeves up and get on with delivering on the bravado. "I suppose it gives you a responsibility to go out and do it. No one is going to shy away from it, our aim is a Test series win and I don't think anyone should be afraid of saying it. "At the end of the day, everyone knows it. I don't think any team really goes in saying 'oh yeah, one game at a time', 'hopefully we'll win the next one, the next one'... there's a clear gameplan to have a dominant series and win. "It's the way I was brought up in my career, to be very clear in what you want out of a season or a campaign and then you have to attack it. There's a bit of a responsibility on you, you've said it out loud so you have to go do it." As for riling the Wallabies, Sheehan was expecting a tough series of encounters anyway. "We've seen it the last couple of years, they've probably been written up as underdogs and they've put in some massive performances, shaken some big teams. "So, yeah I think of course there's going to be a bit of fire and they'll feed into that. "But that's out of our control in some ways and we need to make sure we come out firing and stamp our gameplan on them early. "I'm sure there's going to be some big collisions, some big heated moments in the game. We need to be ready for that and get back to process."
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Dan Sheehan: 'The best way to connect with supporters is to give them a win'
Dan Sheehan insists a winning series against Australia is the best legacy his British and Irish Lions can leave behind. The Lions are strong favourites to complete their first triumphant tour since 2013 when they toppled the Wallabies 2-1 and they enter Saturday's opening Test buoyed by a perfect record Down Under of five wins. Fans will start streaming into Brisbane over the coming days and in the face of criticism in the Australian media that Andy Farrell's tourists have shown limited willingness to engage in community events, Sheehan declares winning is the only currency that matters. 'The best way to connect with supporters is to give them a win,' the Ireland hooker said. The best way to connect with supporters is to give them a win 'Performance is the way to do that. Yeah we can give them a cheer and a clap after the game but ultimately that's not what they came for – they came for a good game of rugby. If we do that, they'll feel part of it. 'A goal of ours is to make sure that if we have a big crowd on Saturday – which we probably will – we bring them into the game and make it feel almost like a 50/50 game that could be anywhere in the world. 'But I still think it's down to what we put out on the pitch, that's how you get the crowd in behind you. 'It would be a good story and a good legacy to have a winning series. We haven't delved too much into the wider picture. Henry Pollock has ruffled feathers by revealing the Lions' intention to whitewash the Wallabies 3-0 (David Davies/PA). 'We did at the start when we were trying to frame the mindset, but this week has been all about Saturday. 'There's going to be no holding anything back, or waiting for the next two Tests. It's all about Saturday. 'We're in a good spot. The lads are hungry, and we're expecting the Wallabies to be hungry. There will be fireworks on Saturday.' The Lions ruffled feathers in the wake of their 48-0 victory over Saturday's AUNZ Invitational XV when flanker Henry Pollock revealed their intention to whitewash Australia 3-0 and become the best team to have represented the elite of British and Irish rugby. Captain Maro Itoje then doubled down on the desire to put the Wallabies to the sword – and Sheehan believes there is no reason why they should not aim high. Tom Curry (centre), pictured with team-mates Henry Pollock (left) and Josh van der Flier, is expected to get the openside flanker nod of Jac Morgan when the Lions team is named for the first Test in Brisbane (David Davies/PA). 'I don't think that's anything too crazy. It's a massive goal of ours to make sure we reach our potential,' he said. 'If we do reach our potential we have the possibility to be one of the best teams. I think they're fair comments.' Farrell names his team on Thursday with Tom Curry expected to be given the nod in the ferociously competitive openside position ahead of Jac Morgan and Josh van der Flier. Tadhg Beirne appears to be winning his battle with Ollie Chessum at blindside flanker, while Sione Tuipulotu has now edged ahead of Bundee Aki in the race to start at inside centre. With Blair Kinghorn losing his battle with a knee injury, Hugo Keenan is favourite to be picked at full-back with Marcus Smith potentially supplying cover from the bench.
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
'There has to be a step up' - Sheehan looks to go to next level with Lions
THIS HAS ALREADY been an impressive season for Dan Sheehan, even though he missed the first half of it. His comeback from an ACL injury has been outstanding, with the Leinster and Ireland hooker hitting the ground running. He hasn't slowed up since. With 14 tries in 14 appearances for province and country, as well as all of his class and power around the pitch, Sheehan has reestablished his position as one of the game's leading hookers. A Lions series is one of the best places to copper-fasten that status, even if Sheehan and his team-mates insist it's all about the collective. Sheehan will look to take his game to the next level and so will everyone else on Andy Farrell's Lions team. 'We've talked about it, there has to be a step up,' said Sheehan this week in Brisbane. 'What we've done so far has been great and I think we've done a good job doing it. But we talked about, there has to be a visible difference this week and this is why we're here. Advertisement 'I think we should be able to feel the energy off people. You should be able to see the collisions, the carries. I think everything is just going to be up a level. 'With that, you have to somehow bring the accuracy with you which can be the tricky part when you get psyched up for a game of this intensity. It's trying to bring the accuracy which we've struggled at times over the last couple of games. That will be crucial. Bringing both accuracy and physicality.' Farrell's Lions team are all about changing the recent record of the touring side. The last series that the Lions won was in 2013, their last visit to Australia. Sheehan is set to start on Saturday in Brisbane. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO So all this group is worried about is leaving with a series victory. 'A win,' said Sheehan when asked what legacy they want to leave. 'It would be a good story and a good legacy to have a winning series. We haven't delved too much into the wider picture. We did at the start when we were trying to frame the mindset, but this week has been all about Saturday, and how our prep goes into winning this game on Saturday, and we're going to throw everything at that. 'There's going to be no holding anything back, or waiting for the next two Tests. It's all about Saturday. 'I think we're in a good spot. Lads are hungry, and we're expecting the Wallabies to be hungry. I think it'll be a good Test and fireworks on Saturday.' And Sheehan said the Lions are convinced that winning is the only true way they can repay their travelling support in Australia. 'Performance is the way to do that. Yeah, we can give them a cheer and a clap after the game but ultimately that's not what they came for, they came for a good game of rugby,' said the Irish hooker. 'If we do that, they'll feel part of it. That's a goal of ours, to make sure if we have a big crowd on Saturday which we probably will, that we bring them into the game and make it feel almost like a 50/50 game that could be anywhere in the world. 'But I still think it's down to what we put out on the pitch, that's how you get the crowd in behind you.'
