Andrew Sheridan

Last updated

Andrew Sheridan
USO - RCT - 28-09-2013 - Stade Mathon - Andrew Sheridan.jpg
Birth nameAndrew John Sheridan
Date of birth (1979-11-01) 1 November 1979 (age 44)
Place of birth Bromley, England
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight128 kg (20 st 2 lb; 282 lb) [1]
School Dulwich College
University Royal Holloway, University of London
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop, Lock, Number-eight
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1998–1999
1999–2003
2003–2012
2012–2014		 Richmond
Bristol Shoguns
Sale Sharks
Toulon 		6
70
128
44		 (0)
(25)
(40)
(0)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2004–2011
2005, 2009 		England
British & Irish Lions 		40
2		 (0)
(0)

Andrew John Sheridan (born 1 November 1979 in Petts Wood, Bromley, England) is a retired English rugby union player who played as a loosehead prop.

Contents

Sheridan is 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) tall, which is unusually tall for a prop, and weighs 128 kg (20 st 2 lb; 282 lb). [1] He is known for his great physical strength – he is a near-elite class powerlifter and able to bench press 225 kilograms (35 st 6 lb; 496 lb) and squat 275 kilograms (43 st 4 lb; 606 lb). [2]

Sheridan announced his retirement from rugby in September 2014, due to a series of neck injuries. [3]

Domestic career

Early career

Born on 1 November 1979 in Petts Wood, Bromley, England, Sheridan started playing rugby union at the age of nine with Old Elthamians, where he played for five years. In 1991, he went to Dulwich College and there he worked his way through the Surrey age group teams and was capped by both the England U16 and U18 Group Schools teams as a lock.

He joined Richmond in the 1998–99 season and as they folded he won a place in the England U21 squad that played in the 1999 SANZAR tournament in Argentina.

Bristol and positional change

On his return from the SANZAR tournament he joined Bristol Shoguns, where he made around 80 appearances. His physique also caused problems; slightly short for a lock, he was also too heavy to be lifted in the line-out (a key area of second row play), meaning that if he played there, a tall back row forward (such as Dean Ryan) had to fill in; he was also not mobile enough to play in the back row himself; as a result it was decided to switch him to loosehead prop, despite his being very tall for that position. Sheridan was switched from lock to loosehead prop by New Zealander Peter Thorburn while at Bristol. He showed his versatility by also playing at Number 8.

Sale Sharks

After Bristol were relegated in the 2002–03 season, Sheridan joined Sale. [4] In his first season at Sale, Sheridan played in the final of the 2004 Powergen Cup. [5] Sheridan started for Sale as they defeated Pau in the final of the 2004–05 European Challenge Cup. [6] Sheridan helped Sale Sharks to top the League in the 2005–06 season. An injury sustained earlier in the season meant Sheridan could not play in the final, [7] as Sale defeated the Leicester Tigers to become Premiership champions for the first time.

Toulon

In 2012, he signed for French 14 club Toulon. In May 2013 he started as Toulon won the 2013 Heineken Cup Final by 16–15 against Clermont Auvergne. [8]

International career

Early international career and debut

In 2000 he was a squad member on England's tour to South Africa. [9] During 2001/02 Sheridan played for England A against France A and Ireland A. [10] In 2003 Sheridan was selected to represent England A at the 2003 Churchill Cup in Canada, [11] as well as fixtures against the US and Japan. [12] In December 2003, he played for the England XV that took on the Barbarians immediately following England's 2003 Rugby World Cup success. [13] He finally won his first cap for England in November 2004, coming on as a replacement against Canada. [14]

2005 Lions Tour

He was somewhat controversially selected for the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand, as many felt with only one cap to his name he was unlikely to feature heavily. [15] On the 2005 tour, he was sent to the sin-bin after attempting to punch Luke McAlister following a clash of heads in the game against New Zealand Māori. [16] Sheridan did not feature in the Test series.

First start for England

However, he established his reputation later that year in England's November Test against Australia, playing the main role in out-classing the Australian front row. Neither of his opposite numbers finished the match. First, Al Baxter proved unable to deal with Sheridan's power, and was eventually sin-binned late in the second half for collapsing a scrum after being warned for repeated scrum violations. Shortly afterwards, Matt Dunning, who was forced to move opposite Sheridan, was stretchered off after a scrum with what was feared to be a serious neck injury; however, scans showed no structural damage to Dunning's neck. [17] Due to the sin-binning and Dunning's injury, the referee ordered uncontested scrums for the last 10 minutes of the match. He faced Carl Hayman of the All Blacks the next Saturday, who gave him a tough time at the scrum by scrumming very low, negating Sheridan's raw power.

2006 injury

During a 23–21 victory over South Africa on 20 November 2006, Sheridan suffered a broken right ankle and ligament damage. The injury ruled him out for the rest of the 2006/07 season. [18]

2007 Rugby World Cup

He won 'Man of the match' against Australia in the Quarter final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. [19] Sheridan played the full 80 minutes in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final. [20]

2009 Lions Tour

Sheridan was included in the squad for the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. [21] Sheridan played in two Tests, starting the third and final Test. [22]

Outside rugby

In 2010, Sheridan recorded and released an acoustic rock album, entitled "Where We Go From Here". [23] The acoustic album features Andrew on guitar, along with piano, drum and vocal accompaniment, and was recorded at the local Cotyso Studios after Sheridan's wife contacted the owner. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonny Wilkinson</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, is an English former rugby union player. A fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and French side Toulon and represented England and the British & Irish Lions. He is particularly known for scoring the winning drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final and is widely acknowledged as one of the best rugby union players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union positions</span> 15 on-field positions in the sport

In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards and seven backs. In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16–23. Players are not restricted to a single position, although they generally specialise in just one or two that suit their skills and body types. Players that play multiple positions are called "utility players".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Rowntree</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Graham Christopher Rowntree is an English rugby union former player and current head coach of Irish club Munster. He played loosehead prop for Leicester Tigers and England. He was capped 54 times for England, despite having to compete for his position with one of the world's most capped forwards, Jason Leonard. Rowntree was born in Stockton-on-Tees. He was educated at John Cleveland College, Hinckley, Leicestershire, which has also produced other rugby union players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Dawson</span> British Lions & England international rugby union footballer

Matthew James Sutherland Dawson, MBE is an English retired rugby union player who played scrum half for Northampton Saints and then London Wasps. During his international career he toured with the British & Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side. He won 77 caps for his country in total, including nine as captain and was England's most capped scrum half until passed by Danny Care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Os du Randt</span> Rugby player

Jacobus Petrus "Os" du Randt is a former South African rugby union loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks. For most of his career, he played in the domestic Currie Cup for the Free State Cheetahs, though he spent one season with the Blue Bulls. In Super Rugby, he represented the Free State Cheetahs when South Africa sent its top Currie Cup teams to the competition instead of franchised sides, later represented the Cats franchise, spent one season with the Bulls before returning to the Cats, and still later played for the Cheetahs. He ended his career as one of the last remaining international-level players from the amateur era of the sport and the last active member of the 1995 World Cup-winning squad. His final match was the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, which the Springboks won, with Du Randt playing the entire 80 minutes. He is one of 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions, only 24 of whom are South Africans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Hodgson</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Charles Christopher Hodgson is a retired English rugby union player, having previously been a player for Sale Sharks and Saracens. His position was fly-half and he is the leading Premiership points scorer of all time. Hodgson also played for England, until announcing his international retirement in 2012. Hodgson made 18 consecutive starts at fly half for England between 2004 and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gethin Jenkins</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for Pontypridd, Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Toulon. At international level, he won 129 caps for Wales. On his 105th appearance in 2014, he became Wales' most-capped player, overtaking the record held by Stephen Jones; having earned his final cap in November 2016, his record was surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones in September 2019. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. He also won five caps for the British & Irish Lions on three tours in 2005, 2009 and 2013. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history and the most-capped front-row forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Shaw</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Simon Dalton Shaw MBE is a former English rugby union player who played as a lock. He played for Bristol, London Wasps and Toulon. He won 71 caps for England between 1996 and 2011, and 2 for the British & Irish Lions, with whom he toured 3 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Stevens (rugby union)</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Matthew John Hamilton Stevens is a retired rugby union player who played club Rugby in England, South Africa and France and won 44 caps for England between 2004 and 2012. Born in Durban, South Africa, to English parents, he played both prop positions, and most of his England appearances were at tighthead. Now based in Cape Town, Stevens is a hospitality expert and property developer.

Ben Darwin is a former Australian rugby union footballer. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship program, he played 28 times for the Wallabies, Australia's national team, from 2001 to 2003. During this time, Darwin played games against the British and Irish Lions and was part of the Wallabies' 2003 Rugby World Cup team. His usual position was tighthead prop, although on occasion he played on the loosehead side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Jones (rugby union, born 1981)</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Adam Rhys Jones is a Welsh former professional international rugby union player for Wales and the British & Irish Lions. He is currently scrum coach for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Webb</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Rhys Webb is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Ospreys. Born in Bridgend, he is a product of the Ospreys academy and played club rugby for Bridgend RFC and Aberavon RFC before breaking into the regional side in 2008. He played for the Ospreys for 10 years before moving to French club Toulon in 2018, but terminated his contract with them in 2020 and agreed a return to the Ospreys; however, he was unable to join the Ospreys immediately and signed for Bath for the remainder of the 2019–20 season before returning to the Ospreys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Mullan</span> England international rugby union player

Matthew James Mullan is a retired English international rugby union player, between 2010 and 2017 he gained 17 caps for England while playing club rugby for Wasps and Worcester Warriors in Premiership Rugby. He played loosehead prop but also played at hooker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Corbisiero</span> English rugby union player

Alexander R. Corbisiero is an American-born English retired rugby union loosehead prop who last played for Premiership side Northampton Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieran Brookes</span> English rugby union footballer

Kieran Brookes is an English rugby union player who plays for Toulon and played for England. He usually plays as a tighthead prop, but can also cover as a loosehead prop. He was educated at Kirkham Grammar School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Nyakane</span> South Africa international rugby union player

Trevor Ntando Nyakane is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Racing 92 in the French Top 14, and also the South Africa national rugby team, His regular playing position is prop and he has the ability to play at both loosehead and tighthead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Sinckler</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Kyle Norval Jonathan Sean Sinckler is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Bristol Bears and the England national team.

Alec Hepburn is an Australian born, professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for Exeter Chiefs in Premiership Rugby and the Scotland national rugby union team.

Bevan Rodd is a professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks. Born in Scotland, he represents England at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

References

  1. 1 2 "RCT - Rugby Club Toulonnais". rctoulon.com.
  2. ↑ "All you need to know about tonight's teams". The Guardian . 13 October 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  3. ↑ "Andrew Sheridan retires: England international forced to end career" . The Independent. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Sheridan joins Sale". ESPN Scrum. 14 May 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "Newcastle 37–33 Sale". BBC Sport . 17 April 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "Pau 3–27 Sale". BBC Sport . 21 May 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "Sheridan joins England absentees". BBC Sport . 9 May 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "Toulon claim Heineken Cup glory". ESPN. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "2000 squad selection". BBC Sport . 7 June 2000. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  10. ↑ "Ireland 'A' triumph over England 'A'". ESPN Scrum. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Woodward relies on Wasps". BBC Sport . 28 May 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "England 'A' thrash Japan". ESPN Scrum. 6 July 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "England celebrate with win". BBC Sport . 20 December 2003. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  14. ↑ "England 70–0 Canada". BBC Sport . 13 November 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  15. ↑ "Lions profiles – Front row". BBC Sport . 18 May 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "NZ Maori 19–13 Lions". BBC Sport . 11 June 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Unlikely hero". BBC Sport . 14 November 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  18. ↑ "Hodgson & Sheridan out for season". BBC Sport . 20 November 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  19. ↑ "England 12–10 Australia". BBC Sport . 6 October 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  20. ↑ "World Cup final 2007". BBC Sport . 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  21. ↑ "2009 Lions squad selection". BBC Sport . 21 April 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "South Africa 9–28 Lions". BBC Sport . 4 July 2009. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  23. ↑ "Sale prop Andrew Sheridan releases music album". BBC Sport . 5 October 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  24. ↑ Gallagher, Brendan (2 November 2010). "England v New Zealand: prop idol Andrew Sheridan on song". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
 England profile
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.