Ulster meeting 'a game we need to target' - Sheehan

Dan Sheehan may still be relatively new on the scene, but he knows how to give a diplomatic answer.

With four tries in last Friday night's 42-10 win against Benetton, he boosted his already impressive try-scoring record, and with 20 tries in just 30 games, he's already crossed the whitewash more times than some seasoned campaigners like Josh van der Flier, Rhys Ruddock and even Robbie Henshaw.

He knows what side of his bread is buttered though. With three of those four scores coming off the back of dominant mauls, he's more than happy to pass credit off to the rest of the pack.

"The team performance I think was top of it," he said, when asked to reflect on his Player of the Match award last Friday night.

"I scored one pick-and-go try, the rest were the lads' tries and I think it’s easy to sit here and say, 'Oh, it was great to score four tries', but it was the pack that scored three tries which I probably stole off Josh [Van der Flier].

If it was as easy as just falling over the line, anybody could have done it, but history would show that Sheehan is just the third forward and first front rower to score four tries in single game in the competition's history.

From both a Leinster and Ireland point of view, the long-term future of the hooker position looks water-tight, with Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher both just 24-years-old.

Kelleher looked to be the De facto first choice last season, while he even got himself a four-try haul on Ireland duty in the summer 2021 win against USA, but multiple shoulder injuries stuttered his campaign, and have allowed Sheehan close that gap.

Both hookers are likely to feature in tomorrow night's BKT United Rugby Championship Interpro against Ulster at Kingspan Stadium, and regardless of who starts and