Dan Sheehan nearing Leinster return as Six Nations looms

Dan Sheehan's chances of featuring for Ireland in the 2025 Guinness Six Nations have been given a boost with the hooker potentially in line to make his return from injury for Leinster before the end of the month.

The province say Sheehan has stepped up his training load this week, having been sidelined since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Ireland's first Test against South Africa in Pretoria in July.

The 26-year-old could even feature in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup Pool 2 meeting with Bath at Aviva Stadium (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player), although the province say a final decision on his availability will be made later in the week.

Even if he doesn't feature this weekend, Sheehan’s swift recovery leaves the hooker in a good position to play for Ireland in the Six Nations, with interim head coach Simon Easterby set to name his squad for the tournament tomorrow.

Wing James Lowe is also close to a return, having been out since suffering a calf injury in Ireland’s final Autumn Nations Series win against Australia in late November.

Like Sheehan, Lowe has returned to full training, although head coach Leo Cullen will hold off until later in the week before deciding if he’s ready to play on Saturday.

Flanker Will Connors could also enter into the picture after missing the last five games, while Tadhg Furlong, Jack Conan and Ciarán Frawley all came through Sunday's 16-14 win against La Rochelle unscathed after returning from injury.

Tommy O’Brien is being monitored after withdrawing from last week’s starting team as an injury precaution, while Jordan Larmour has been ruled out due to a hamstring complaint.

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