Dan Sheehan focused on fine details as Ireland brace for Kiwi backlash on home turf

Sheehan gets to start in the absence of provincial squad rival Ronan Kelleher through injury

Dan Sheehan speaks to the media after Ireland rugby captain's run at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Dan Sheehan was not even born the last time New Zealand lost a Test match at Eden Park but he has enough experience in his young career to appreciate that the All Blacks will be seeking vengeance when Ireland play there on Saturday.

The long-awaited first Test of this tour is the first of the year for the home side with their back-to-back defeats in Europe at the end of November still fresh in the memory. The Leinster hooker, 23, had made his Test debut against Japan a week before the All Blacks visited Aviva Stadium and watched from the stands as Ireland outclassed Ian Foster’s team in a 29-20 victory that marked the third time in five meetings that the men in green had emerged victorious.