'He's a formidable boy with a pair of gloves on him' - Olympian Cathal O'Grady on white collar boxer Dan Sheehan

Moments after celebrating his Leinster comeback with a two-try salvo in their URC victory over the Stormers, Dan Sheehan made sure to thank two of the people involved in his rehabilitation.

Emma Gallivan, senior physiotherapist at Leinster, and Olympic boxer Cathal O'Grady were mentioned in his post-match interview, the return at the end of January coming just over six months after suffering an ACL injury during Ireland's first Test against South Africa.

Gallivan and the medical staff at Leinster were Sheehan’s primary team but O’Grady’s contribution is not forgotten by the 26-year-old, who marked his international return with a stunning 32-minute appearance off the bench that included the likely try of the tournament in the 27-22 win over England.

"He’s been brilliant for me," Sheehan told RTÉ Sport. "I did boxing with him in Harold's Cross every week for a good chunk of the rehab period.

"He was just excellent to get the fitness and stuff but mainly the footwork while being distracted by being hit or trying to hit someone.

"It definitely helped my footwork, and getting me a bit of bounce.

"One of the big things with the ACL is trying to get your power output back and reactive strength and stuff so to have boxing as a form of distraction [shows] how important footwork is in boxing and skipping.

"It's actually become a big part of my daily routine now, skipping."

O’Grady, who runs White Collar Boxing in Dublin, represented Ireland at the 1996 Olympic Games and has 10 national and a European junior heavyweight title to his name.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport, O’Grady detailed how quickly Sheehan took to the sweet science.

"Emma got in touch with me and she told me her plan, and it was the usual ACL rehab but she wanted to add a little bit