'The Lions tour has been chaos and I've enjoyed absolutely every second'

Dan Sheehan tells Harry Latham-Coyle about his incredible Test try and why his sights are set on making 2029's squad

- Harry Latham-Coyle

Perched on the bench next to Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan could only watch, gut wrenched by the familiar feeling of a fate out of your hands. Plenty of times the pair had sat together exhausted yet enraptured, their front row efforts done but a game to which they had contributed plenty in the balance.

Plenty of times, too, they had come out on the wrong side; the 2023 and 2024 Champions Cup finals, or perhaps most agonisingly that quarterfinal night in Paris where Ireland's World Cup dreams came crashing down. With the British and Irish Lions bashing on the door for a match-winning try at the end of the second Test, the memories came flooding back.

“I was sitting there beside Tadhg and he looked at me and I looked at him,” Sheehan explains. “He was like: ‘How many times have we been sitting on this bench in this situation and we've never won a game?’ And it was tough. It's almost harder watching it sometimes.

“When you're on the pitch you're so focused and you don't let your mind wander but when you're sitting on the bench it's out of your control. Obviously, the bench were doing a great job, which was nice to see but it was something that felt like a fan in some ways. You're so engulfed in what you're seeing. But it's probably almost more enjoyable watching it happen and being able to celebrate.”