{"id":525965,"date":"2026-06-30T14:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/525965\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:48:12","slug":"he-leads-from-the-front","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/525965\/","title":{"rendered":"‘He leads from the front’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby is confident in Dan Sheehan stepping in as captain for the upcoming Nations Championship<\/a> in the absence of injured Caelan Doris.<\/p>\n

Doris has been ruled out of a tour of Australia for the second year running after he picked up a foot injury early in Leinster\u2019s URC final win over the Bulls, while this time last year, he was also forced to miss the Lions tour following shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n

Dan Sheehan has been chosen to lead the team out in Australia, but it is not the first time Andy Farrell has called on the hooker to take up the role, with Sheehan having captained Ireland against Wales in last year\u2019s Six Nations.<\/p>\n

\"danIreland captain Dan Sheehan during a training session in Sydney. Pic: Saeed KHAN \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s disappointing for Caelan, with missing out on potentially a couple of trips to Australia,\u2019 Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby said in Sydney.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hopefully, next year, it\u2019ll be third time lucky ahead of the World Cup. It\u2019s frustrating for him. But Dan Sheehan is an unbelievable player who has a skill set that\u2019s probably different to a lot of players in his position.<\/p>\n

\u2018He leads by his actions, and he leads from the front, and he\u2019s shown that over a number of years. He captained Ireland in the Six Nations a couple of years ago and led unbelievably well.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"Ireland defence coach Simon Easterby. Pic: Emmanuele Ciancaglini\/Ciancaphoto Studio\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s Nations Championship gets underway against Australia in Sydney on Saturday, July 4, and Easterby has said the preparations for the fixtures are going well.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s been good \u2013 all 36 players are training, and we\u2019ve enjoyed recovering from the jet lag, and yeah, we\u2019ve really hit the ground running. It\u2019s been a great week reconnecting. We\u2019ve had great facilities at Wests Tigers\u2019 ground, and it\u2019s been an excellent seven days.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s been a great mix, I think. Sometimes players miss out for whatever reason, through injury or non-selection, and you get the opportunity to work with other players. They\u2019ve all slotted in really well, and I think it\u2019s a testament to the group that we\u2019ve had no one drop out of training.\u2019<\/p>\n

Match week in Sydney. \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa pic.twitter.com\/gId1WMtS9u<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 29, 2026<\/a>
\n