Dan Sheehan 'delighted with great week in rehab' as World Cup looms

Dan Sheehan admits he was concerned about his World Cup prospects when limping off against England but says he can't wait to get going in France.

The Ireland hooker sprained foot ligaments in the warm-up clash at the Aviva Stadium ten days ago.

Head coach Andy Farrell said that it was "fingers crossed" at the time but last week issued a positive update on the 24-year-old's progress and the Leinster front row was included in the 33-man squad named on Sunday.

Saturday’s nervy win over Samoa came too soon for Kelleher but he said he is eager to make up for lost time.

"Yeah, delighted, bit of a worry last week coming off the pitch but I had a great week in rehab and the lads have done a great job trying to get me back so really excited to get on the plane to France," he told Irish Rugby TV.

"I can’t wait to actually get over there. I was annoyed to miss the week with the lads the last week in France so looking forward to seeing the World Cup hype over there.

"I’ve already seen a few photos of Tours [Ireland's base], very welcoming towards the Irish already.

"[We] pack up [Monday] and we have a few days off to chill out, spend time with family and friends before we leave on Thursday, an exciting few days."

Ireland, the Six Nations Grand Slam champions and world ranked number one team, kick off their campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on Saturday, 9 September.

"It’s a massive game for us," said Sheehan, capped 18 times since his debut in 2021.

"[We have to] make sure we put a good mark down on the first attempt.

"There’ll be a massive crowd of Irish supporters, which will be great to see and we need to put on a show for them."

Ireland, who have never been beyond a quarter-final the World Cup, have made no secret of their ambition this