In Video: “A really special day” | Dan Sheehan and Andy Farrell react to British & Irish Lions 54-7 win

Lions Captain Dan Sheen Reflects on 54-7 Win Over Western Force

Captain Dan Sheen led his team to a convincing 54-7 win over the Western Force, scoring the first try of the match and guiding the Lions to a dominant victory. After the game, Sheen spoke to Ellen Roa about his debut as captain and the lessons learned from the match.

A Special Day for the Lions

"It’s really special day, uh, for me and for a lot of the lads making their first appearance in this jersey," Sheen said. "It’s something special, something you watch all the way growing up wanting to be in this jersey. And yeah, it’s kind of just sinking in now. Um, yeah, really special day, but um, happy with that result, but there’s plenty of things to work on as well."

Room for Improvement

Sheen highlighted areas for improvement, including discipline and accuracy in restarting play. "I think we started really well, uh, with that first try, but then our discipline let them back in, and we were probably really inaccurate with their restarts. We gave them a lot of access," he said. "So, um, we’ll have to go back to the drawing board, make sure we’re better next week or on Wednesday even, and uh, we’ll go again."

The Next Challenge

The Lions will travel to Brisbane to face the Queensland Reds next week, and Sheen is looking forward to the challenge. "From here on in, it’s coming thick and fast, and every team we come across will be hungrier than ever. So, um, we just got to embrace it and love every second of it and enjoy the journey with each other and getting to know everyone on a deeper level," he said.

Lessons Learned

Despite the dominant win, Sheen acknowledged that the Lions still have areas to work on. "I think we learned a lot from the first half, main being our discipline. When we gained our composure in the second half, we were able to be nice and calm, and our defense improved out of sight," he said.

Injuries and Standout Performances

The Lions suffered an injury blow with Thomas leaving the field with a tight hamstring, but Sheen is hopeful it’s not a serious issue. The captain also praised Mark Hansen for his tireless effort in tracking back to support his teammates, saying it’s the type of spirit they want to see throughout the team.

Next Week’s Challenge

The Lions will head to Brisbane next week to face the Queensland Reds, a team led by Nick White, who threatened to "bash us up and bruise" the Lions. Sheen is undaunted, saying his team will dust themselves off and prepare for the next challenge.