Sheehan rejects talk of Irish rugby's decline as he prepares to captain side

Ireland captain Dan Sheehan said on 5 November 2026 that talk of a decline in Irish rugby was "nonsense" and that he had "full confidence" in his team-mates as he prepares to captain the side this month in Caelan Doris' absence ahead of home Nations Championship fixtures.

Andy Farrell's Ireland sit third in the world rankings, but a run of double-digit defeats to South Africa, New Zealand and France has prompted questions about the team's direction; Farrell this week conceded his squad are not yet ready to have realistic ambitions of winning next year's World Cup in Australia. The side head into home Nations Championship matches against Argentina, Fiji and world champions South Africa later this month.

Sheehan said the squad must back itself and defended the group's quality, adding: "I've full confidence in this group." He warned against outside commentary suggesting a period of transition or decline and said, "I think it's all nonsense really."

Ireland have registered six wins from eight Tests this year, including victories over England and Scotland that helped secure the Six Nations Triple Crown, but their form has been blemished by a 36-14 defeat to France in Paris and a 40-21 reverse to New Zealand in July. Sheehan acknowledged there was work to do, saying improvement was required "across a lot of areas."

Reflecting on recent performances, Sheehan said: "We've been disappointed with a fair few performances that we've had, especially the big opportunities we had over the summer." He added: "The Australia game, I know we scraped a win but it probably wasn't a performance we wanted. And the same with Eden Park [against New Zealand], I think we were beaten by about 20."

On specifics, Sheehan pointed to set-piece as an area for focused improvement while noting provincial standards: "Obviously, set-piece is something we need to continue to drive. I think we have the ability in the group. You see it in the provinces, it's a quality set-piece we have and we need to make sure we drive that at international level but there's plenty."

Sheehan said internal work over the last fortnight had been constructive: "I thought the focus over the last two weeks has been great – honest feedback, honest conversations with each other about where we're at and where we need to be. I think we can all feel we have the talent in the group, and we're going in the right direction if we can put all of our minds together." He expects a stern opening test against Argentina, noting the Pumas will chase a first away win over Ireland at the 12th attempt and recalling they beat Farrell's British and Irish Lions at the Aviva Stadium last year. Casey, Jansen and Timoney start against Argentina and Jansen targets regular starts ahead of his home debut.

Ireland open their home campaign against Argentina on Friday 6 November at 20:10 GMT, with live commentary available on BBC Radio Ulster and the BBC Sport website and app.