Leinster’s Dan Sheehan scores against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
- Leinster’s Dan Sheehan has walked away with the URC Players’ Player of the Season accolade.
- URC captains and vice-captain vote for this prestigious award.
- Sheehan was also instrumental in Ireland’s Grand Slam success in the Six Nations.
Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan has scooped the URC Players’ Player of the Season award for 2022/23.
The award is voted for by URC captains and vice-captains and the 24-year-old came out on top in a poll which was conducted at the end of the regular campaign.
READ | SA’s Franco Smith scoops URC Coach of the Season accolade
It’s the second time Sheehan has been recognised in the URC Awards, having secured a place in the Elite XV, pipping Top Try Scorer Tom Stewart to the hooker position.
The award will be some consolation for Sheehan after his Leinster side suffered heartbreak over the past few weeks by losing the URC semi-final to Munster (16-15) and the Champions Cup final to La Rochelle (27-26). He scored a brace of tries in last weekend’s agonising defeat to the French club in Dublin.
In the URC regular season where Leinster dominated, Sheehan scored eight tries with only team-mate Rob Russell (10) registering more.
In scoring four tries in the 42-10 Round 2 win over Benetton in Dublin, including a 28-minute hat-trick, Sheehan equalled the URC record number by an individual in a game – becoming the eighth player, and first from Leinster, to achieve that feat.
Sheehan has been capped 17 times by Ireland and was part of the team which registered an historic tour success against New Zealand last year.
In addition, he went over twice as Ireland clinched the Six Nations Grand Slam in Dublin for the first time with a 29-16 bonus-point victory over 14-man England in March.
Sheenan was also nominated for the Men’s XVs Players’ Player of the Year and Men’s Young Player of the Year in the Rugby Players Ireland Awards.
URC Awards 2022/23 winners:
Top Try Scorer: Tom Stewart (Ulster)
Tackle Machine: John Hodnett (Munster)
Turnover King: Thomas Young (Cardiff Rugby)
Elite XV: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), Daniel du Plessis (Stormers), Simone Gesi (Zebre Parma), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Grant Williams (Sharks), Gavin Coombes (Munster), Scott Penny (Leinster), Vaea Fifita (Scarlets), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), Niall Murray (Connacht), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)
Next-Gen Player of the Season: Tom Stewart (Ulster)
Fans’ Player of the Season: Manie Libbok (Stormers)
Try of the season: Joaquin Riera (Benetton against Sharks, Round 17)
Gilbert Golden Boot: Johan Goosen (Bulls)
Ironman: Quan Horn (Lions)
Coach of the Season: Franco Smith (Glasgow Warriors)
Players’ Player of the Season: Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
