A look at the options and players at the hooker position in Irish rugby, including the rise of Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan.
Yesterday, we looked at the options at loosehead prop in Irish rugby and here, we turn our attention to the hooker position. In separate articles to follow this week and next week, we will also look at options elsewhere across the pitch, detailing the senior professional and academy players from each of the four provinces. It doesn’t feel all that long ago that there were big concerns within Irish rugby about the future at hooker.
Rory Best retired after the 2019 World Cup and there was doom and gloom in some quarters about what might happen next. Rob Herring was the one to step up as first-choice Ireland hooker initially before Leinster duo Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan burst onto the scene to create depth in this spot. Kelleher was capped by Andy Farrell in his first game in charge in 2020, while Sheehan made the step up in Test rugby in November 2021. With Kelleher subsequently suffering more than his fair share of injuries, Sheehan has pushed on to become one of the leading hookers in the game
Hooker Irish Rugby Options Players Rónan Kelleher Dan Sheehan
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