Dan Sheehan’s versatility could be an asset ahead of World Cup

Rarely can a selection in Irish rugby have been quite so leftfield or caused quite such a double take. And rarely can one choice have led the debate on Leinster chat groups to such an extent. Dan Sheehan at number eight? There seemed more than a whiff of Rassie Erasmus about it.

The ex-Munster and back-to-back World Cup winning head coach of the Springboks has been ahead of the posse in thinking outside the box, notably 6-2 or 7-1 splits on the bench and the creation of hybrid players such as Deon Fourie or latterly André Esterhuizen.