Kelleher missed the summer tour and the November series but hopes to reclaim his position from Sheehan
The injury didn’t recover in time to earn a seat on the plane for a successful tour to New Zealand in the summer, which killed stone dead his momentum at international level.
Kelleher could only watch on as, over the course of the three recent international matches and especially in the brutally physical game against the Springboks, Sheehan’s permanent claim grew louder and louder. But it has been Sheehan, more than 32-year-old Rob Herring, who reacted and filled the vacuum and is now making it as difficult as possible in the process of reclaiming the shirt. Swings and roundabouts are part of the game but at 6′3′' and 110 kilos, Sheehan has the look of an immovable object.
The only other players to have achieved that feat for Ireland at international level are Belfast number eight Brian Robinson, against Zimbabwe in 1991, and former Irish captain and hooker Keith Wood, against USA in 1999.
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