Dan Sheehan will recover from a sprained ligament in his foot in time for the Rugby World Cup.
His participation was in doubt after the 24-year-old hooker was substituted early on against England and subsequently missed Ireland’s final warm-up game against Samoa.
But the outlook is much better now, with the Dubliner informing Irish Rugby TV that he had ‘a great week in rehab.’
Initially, Ireland coach Andy Farrell said that he had his ‘fingers crossed’ for Sheehan, who did the damage when drawing a boot at a loose ball in that test match against England.
Farrell had a more positive update a couple of days later, however, when he revealed that “we expect him to be fit for the World Cup” before going onto include Sheehan in his 33 man squad.
Sheehan was at Ireland camp today, collecting his gear for the tournament when he spoke of his excitement for the games.
“It was a bit of a worry last week coming off the pitch but I had a great week in rehab and the lads have done a great job trying to get me back so really excited to get on the plane to France,” he said.
“I can’t wait to actually get over there. I was annoyed to miss the week with the lads the last week in France so looking forward to seeing the World Cup hype over there.
“I’ve already seen a few photos of Tours [Ireland’s base], very welcoming towards the Irish already.”
“We pack up and we have a few days off to chill out, spend time with family and friends before we leave on Thursday, an exciting few days.”
“We got a good bagful of Goodies. Vodafone and Dove, they all sorted us out with a few presents and a lot of kit,” he added.
Meanwhile, Conor Murray has said he’s proud of how he’s responded to criticism after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“I’m proud of how I’ve responded to be honest.
“Myself and Johnny got the brunt of the criticism.
“I wouldn’t say I played particularly poorly, but as a whole group we didn’t perform.”
🗣 "I'm proud of how I've responded to be honest.
🗣 "Myself and Johnny got the brunt of the criticism.
🗣 "I wouldn't say I played particularly poorly, but as a whole group we didn't perform."
Conor Murray looks back on the 2019 Rugby World Cup with @TommyMartinVM.#RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/1kWyaefnw2
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) August 29, 2023
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