After scoring five tries in a breakout Six Nations campaign last year, Dan Sheehan has been limited to substitute appearances for Ireland in 2025.

Following an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the first Test against South Africa in July, the hooker spent six months on the sidelines and returned to action with Leinster against the Stormers on 25 January, scoring two tries in the process.

During the first two rounds of the Six Nations, Sheehan has had to bide his time behind Rónan Kelleher, but he came off the bench to secure the bonus point for Ireland with a try in their opening win versus England.

He played the entire second half against Scotland earlier this month, and he has been named captain for this weekend's match against Wales in the absence of Caelan Doris in a much-changed Ireland side.

Prior to his injury, Sheehan's rise to the top of the Irish and world game had been rapid. He was drafted into the Ireland squad after just five starts for Leinster in November 2021, and the following year he was nominated for World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

Sheehan had something of a coming out party when his two tries against England secured the Grand Slam for Ireland in 2023, and he was the top try scorer in last year's championship, crossing the whitewash five times as Ireland claimed the championship again last year.

The prolific front-rower is now the top try-scoring forward in Six Nation's history with nine alongside Imanol Harinordoquy, Jamie Heaslip and Charles Ollivon, and he has scored an impressive 11 tries in 29 caps.

Since making his debut in 2020, Sheehan has played 65 games for Leinster, scoring 38 tries. In 2023, he was named in World Rugby's Team of the Year, and awarded URC Players’ Player of the Year.

In the middle of last year's Six Nations, Sheehan established a public relations and communication activities company Aillebrack DS2 Ltd. He is the sole owner and director, and his father Barry is listed as secretary.

The Milltown, Dublin 6-registered company is yet to file annual accounts.

The 26-year-old was previously a co-owner of Strive Sportswear Ltd, a clothing company that was dissolved recently. Sheehan and co-founders Michael O'Brien and David Jeffares jointly owned the firm

The trio established Strive in late 2020, but the venture never made it off the ground, making a loss of €8,300 in 2022 before appearing to wind up in 2023. The Athy-based company was officially struck off the companies register by Revenue in October.

On the sponsorship front, Sheehan is a brand ambassador for Adidas Rugby, VitHit Drinks and Toyota Sandyford, and he is represented by Navy Blue Sports.

According to Ciara O’Grady, senior consultant at ONSIDE, Sheehan's appeal to sponsors has been "strengthened by the captaincy announcement, and with it his position and value to the Irish squad has been solidified.

"In line with this, his appeal to sponsors has grown and although he has an existing number of partners, there is still room within the portfolio for one or two sponsors from other categories, like a professional services firm or banking or telco."

Sheehan said he was "delighted to commit [his] future to Leinster and continue [his] playing career in Ireland" when he signed a new two-year contract with the IRFU last April. Central contracts are believed to be worth up to €500,000 per year.

At the time, then-IRFU performance director David Nucifora described him as a "world-class talent" with "eye-catching" try-scoring stats that only tell "part of the story of his value to the Ireland and Leinster dressing-rooms".

"It is a great boost for all supporters of Irish Rugby that he has decided to remain in Ireland over the coming seasons and I look forward to watching his development as he approaches the prime stages of his career."

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