- Date of Birth17 / 09 / 1998
- Lions Tours2025
- International CapsIreland (32 caps)
- Lions Origin SchoolsClongowes Wood College, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin University
- Lions Origin ClubsBective Rangers, Lansdowne, Trinity College Dublin
Dan Sheehan cemented his status as one of the world's leading hookers with a starring role in the 2025 Tour of Australia.
A try-scoring machine, Sheehan bounced back from a serious injury less than 12 months before the 2025 Tour Down Under to earn his place on a British & Irish Lions plane for the first time.
The hooker was on a seemingly unstoppable rise when his progress was halted by a cruciate ligament injury sustained while playing for Ireland against South Africa in July 2024.
But after diligent rehab and recovery, Sheehan picked up exactly where he left off.
He scored twice on his return to the Leinster jersey and was straight back into the Ireland fold for the 2025 Guinness Six Nations, when he crossed in the win over England in Round 1.
Sheehan dotted down five times in the competition in all, including a hat-trick in Rome which took his overall international tally to 15, and he translated this form into the famous red jersey.
The hooker started all three Tests and scored in the victories in Brisbane and Melbourne, as well as in the 54-7 warm-up victory over Western Force.
His knack for tries is perhaps no surprise given the stardust which may have rubbed off on him as a youngster, when he met Jonah Lomu – even going as far as to model his haircut on the All Blacks legend in an iconic image.
Sheehan’s rugby journey started at Bective Rangers and soon took him to Bucharest, courtesy of his father’s job. He played a wide range of sports before returning to Ireland, boarding at Clongowes Wood College, whose alumni include Lions tourists Keith Wood, Gordon D’Arcy and Rob Kearney.
Sheehan’s emergence was not instant – he started out in the second XV at Clongowes – but his determination helped him advance through the ranks and he continued his progress at Trinity College before a defining spell in the All-Ireland League with Lansdowne RFC.
Ireland youth honours followed and Sheehan has gone from strength to strength since graduating to the senior international scene and was nominated for the 2022 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award.
He then earned hero status in 2023 when he scored twice against England in Round 5 of the Six Nations to help seal his country’s fourth Grand Slam. The end of that year saw him named at hooker in the World Rugby Team of the Year.