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'Happy and good is unacceptable. What would Callum say?'
No one knows, apart from Wales boss Wayne Pivac perhaps, when Callum Sheedy might be thrust into the Autumn Nations Cup fray against England on Saturday to make just his third Test appearance in his fledgeling international career.
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The 25-year-old Sheedy made his debut at the tail end of the Dublin loss to Ireland, coming on with Wales under the pump and heading for a derisory 32-9 defeat.
Last week, though, he made his first start, guiding Pivac’s strugglers to the 18-0 win over Georgia that snapped a six-match losing run. You’d imagine the rookie would be chuffed with himself but he wasn’t completely, peppering his club boss, Bristol’s Pat Lam, with a flurry of texts.
It has been ever thus. When Lam arrived at Bristol in 2017, Sheedy was way down the pecking order but his appetite for learning has turned him from a bit-part player to being the conductor of a Bears outfit that signed off 2019/20 as European Challenge Cup champions and Gallagher Premiership semi-finalists.
It was June 2019 when Sheedy fleetingly popped up in the England colours, taking part in their annual Twickenham rendezvous with the Barbarians, but it was always likely the Cardiff-born out-half would ultimately wind up in the bosom of the Wales set-up with an eye on becoming the long-term successor to Dan Biggar.
???????? @Sheedy95 https://t.co/Lcij42nUWN
— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) November 26, 2020
That process began in earnest this month and while he will only play bench back-up to the established No10 when Wales welcome England to Llanelli, Sheedy getting to that level has greatly enthused club boss Lam. “He is just a great example of if you have got a dream and you have got a plan, and you’re committed and hungry to work, it will come right for you,” said Lam, who will be in catch-up mode on Saturday concerning the international as the second half of Bristol’s Premiership game with Worcester will overlap with the Parc Y Scarlets start.
“Then it’s constant review and also understanding the three non-negotiables – game culture, leadership, understanding the game. Understand culture is a big part of it in the sense that you’re not happy or you don’t feel comfortable.
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“Callum is all about the game and the team game, he is all about culture and he is a great team person, so he fits in, he makes relationships real easy, he makes people feel comfortable.
“And then the other third thing is the leadership and he has got leadership skills because he will never ask anyone to do anything that he doesn’t do himself. Through all of that the reason he has climbed so fast up the pecking order and the reason he is doing so well is because he has unbelievable self-awareness.
“As an example – he does it after most games anyway – but after the Wales game, he was sending me texts about how he was happy with a couple of things but there were things he thought he could be better and I was just dropping him back messages, but that is just Callum.
“It’s funny, we had a meeting Wednesday – we always catch up with the tens, myself and Conor McPhillips, the assistant coach, on the down day – and I asked a question to one of them, I said well how did you think training went yesterday and he was, it was good, I was happy.
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“I looked at him and I said what would Callum say? I said ‘I’m happy and good’ is unacceptable. What would Callum say? Callum would go through the chat, the connection, the lines, the timing, he’d talk about the overall flow, and I said, so now boys give me some more detail please, what happened and what did you think of the training game?
“That is Callum. His understanding of the game that any coach is trying to do, he is very meticulous and understands okay this is what you want to do, this is my role in it. Everything on a rugby field is around connections and being able to connect and tune in and that is one of his strengths.
"One or two scintillating Jonny May moments aside, England have gone full Priti Patel and bullied those in front of them until they collapsed."
@davidflatman says the psychological battle ahead for Wales almost outweighs the stern physical examinationhttps://t.co/INxmx8yQpH— The XV (@TheXV) November 27, 2020
“Of course he has got a lot of work-ons and his general skills, he knows that and he has put time into that. He is going to continue to develop and he is hungry to get better but his greatest asset – and you could see it when he started for Wales – there was a lot of inexperienced guys but everyone seemed to know exactly what was going on and he directed it really well.
“I thought he was very good and it just shows it doesn’t matter the level, as long as he has got clarity and gives everyone else clarity then he will be successful.”
Sheedy’s penchant for constantly asking questions reminds Lam of how he himself was as a player who enjoyed a European Cup and league-winning career in England alongside his Test exposure with Samoa.
“Callum will always want to know why and that is what I challenge all my players, you better know the why. Don’t just do something because the coach tells you to do it. That was like me as a player – I was probably a bit of a pain in the backside for coaches because I wanted to know the why.
“If we are doing this drill why does this have any relevance to what we are doing in the game, and that’s the thing that Callum will always ask the why. I never ever have an issue to answer the why because the big picture is explained, but he is very good and the beauty some times when other players ask is I go well, what do you think Callum and Callum will give them the answer. Callum can present and he normally nails it.”
'They were backing me through that whole situation in terms of what happened at Worcester.'@SPiutau on @BristolBears , Pasifika players, his brother and that Worcester incident, with @heagneyl ??? https://t.co/fodTDPBGTo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 22, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Tighthead was always going to be our weakness this year with Ryan going home to Ireland and the Cashed Up Blues taking a third All Black prop from us - nobody else in SR does that. Numia is the exciting one. He used to be a lightweight but he's really improved. Do you have stats on the All Black hookers’ lineouts for the game? I seem to remember a few misses.
2 Go to commentsFergus Burke isn't tier 1 player quality…but guess what, he'll be playing amongst them for Saracens…. all going well and Steve Borthwick is still the head coach, England...Scott Robertson’s hint of amending NZRU’s offshore AB eligibility clause, would mean that players like Josh Moorby who show potential might get a call…
4 Go to commentsThe movement of quality players back to SA is remarkable.
2 Go to commentsInteresting article, Nic. Am enjoying seeing the Rebels doing well, partly just to spite those who are working to wipe them off the face of the Australian rugby planet. But it is also good to see a team with somany good players beginning fire. LSL has benefitted so much from his move up to Northampton for the one year. I wonder why he did not stay on for another year. Does he now looks north and see his teammates of last year now doing so well, and have some regrets.
44 Go to comments“Over 80% of the World Cup squad are over 30” No it isn’t lol
2 Go to commentsTyrel Lomax the best AB prop since Carl Hayman. Absolutely destroyed the Boks in RWC Final and is monstering allcomers in Super this season. Should be a monster battle vs touring Poms, always deliver a power pack.
2 Go to commentsEye gouging seems like such a strong term for what can only be described as a poke in the eye. When I think of eye gouging I think of someone trying to intentionally pop someone’s eyeball out. it’s like calling a high-tackle attempted decapitation.
3 Go to commentsGreat article. No insights to add, just wanted to say that. :)
1 Go to commentsLeinster are going to win the world cup.
13 Go to commentsSuper Rugby desperately needs to lose at least 2, but up to 4 teams. Rebels quietly going bankrupt would have made that a bit easier. Teams like the Rebels and Force serve only to weaken Australian Rugby and Super Rugby more widely. In 13 years in the comp the Rebels are yet to win more games than they lose in a season, have never finished in the top half of the competition, and have come dead last a number of times. The Western Force, barring a brief stint of mediocrity under John Mitchell from 2007-2009 have been even worse. Sadly it’s hard to see a future for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby. Likewise I think the writing is on the wall for the Highlanders, it’s hard to see how NZ rugby can continue to support 5 SR teams, and population distribution suggests one team in the south island would make the most sense.
44 Go to commentsNice that Connor Evans is happy to stay on here, that JD Schikerling is returning and Steven Kitshoff. Dobbo is careful to bring back just anybody but having a new financial lease of life, it has made the Stormers a more attractive club. On top of being good quality, having the financial backing helps a lot
1 Go to commentsEngland-qualified too, I believe.
1 Go to commentsThis might turn out to be emblematic of a real issue in Irish rugby. Ireland have one of the best -if not the best - senior sides in the world, and one of the best under 20s sides as well, but don’t seem to be giving graduating under20s players many opportunities to break through into URC starting lineups. There is a risk that a lot of the junior talent they are developing will either be wasted, or lost to other nations.
1 Go to commentsYou ask good questions, Nick. The group who have put together the proposal to play out of Tarneit and participate in the growing of the ground’s capacity are not a bunch of white knights who have been dragged in post-crisis; they were around whilst the Rebels accummulated $23m in debt. Why do we come up with ideas that might make the franchise affordable after it’s broke and not when it might have prevented the trainwreck this offseason was? As for Gordon/Kellaway v Lolesio/Wright, they are both good options. I think the former are better rugby players but the goal kicking of Noah may be decisive when Schmiddy makes his choices. I know Harry Jones has the hots for Edmed but I think it’s one of his few poor choices and he and Jorgensen aren’t close to the other pairs. By coincidence, the wife and I went into town over the weekend to watch Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Beautifully acted but it was 3.5 hours in the chair and very hard work. Like the Rebels, there were only small bursts of joy to go with a lot of bad news and a depressing story line. In the end, I was hoping it would end and I could give my sore butt a break. Again, familiar.
44 Go to commentsGood decision, very good player but not international quality. But so was Jamison Gibson Park …..
4 Go to commentsLoose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
6 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
44 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
6 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
6 Go to comments