Dan Sheehan hoping technique can counter power v Springboks

If you've been keeping the slightest eye on Dan Sheehan's young career, you'd know he has an eye for the tryline.

With six tries in five games this season for Leinster, his tally for the province now stands at 22 in 34, while he's crossed the line twice in his 10 caps for Ireland.

The hooker gets the headlines for those scores, but behind closed doors it's the collective that get the credit. Of those six Leinster tries this season for example, five have come off the back of dominant mauls.

"It's something we work hard at in training," the 24-year-old says, as he discusses the art of a driving maul.

"It's not just by chance that teams are beginning to attack off the back of mauls or from the five-metre line.

"It’s a good opportunity to bunch up a good portion of their forwards and then sometimes you’re left with a winger, or a nine or 10 that you only have to get a metre beyond to flop over the line. It’s not something that is off the cuff, we’ve worked on it in training quite a bit."

Communication is also key, he says, with a great example of that being his latest try against Munster, when his scrum-half Luke McGrath stepped back from the maul just at the last second to put doubt in the mind of the defence, and create the pocket of space for Sheehan to break into.

"When the opportunity presents itself, a lot goes into it. You need to chat with the nine to see his picture in front because I can’t see anything. There’s a lot that goes into it.

"You back yourself with the size, but making the judgement. Will I be left on my own if I break off? Or can I make that extra inch that gets you there? A lot of the time, you only have to make it a foot from the point of contact to get over."

Naturally, he doesn't appear to agree with the