Assist King Sheedy loving life back home

Callum Sheedy. www.inpho.ie

Callum Sheedy is the happiest he’s been in years and relishing his role as “the assist king”.

That’s the title he’s been handed by his Cardiff Rugby teammate Tom Bowen, and it’s easy to see why.

Flyhalf Sheedy has set up a succession of tries already this season - three of them for winger Bowen - with his pinpoint cross-kicks and deft handling.

He’s playing some of the best rugby of his career and must be in with a chance of fulfilling his dream of a recall to the Wales set-up.

Now 29, he is showing real maturity and vision in terms of his reading of the game. He seems to have that extra split second on the ball and the ability to make the right decision under pressure.

He is clearly enjoying his ringmaster role as he prepares for Friday’s big United Rugby Championship derby against Dragons RFC at Rodney Parade.

“We have got a really good set of backs here, young, hungry, want to learn, want to get their hands on the ball,” he said.

“As a 10, when you have got that outside you, it helps massively.

“Playing with those boys just makes my life so easy because I’ve just got to listen to them and try and execute what they want. We are in a pretty good spot there.”

Sheedy’s creativity was evident once again in Saturday’s 14-8 victory over Connacht Rugby when his dinked cross-kick enabled Bowen to strike, while a searing break out of his own half almost set up another score for the 19-year-old.

But just as important were his try-saving heroics when he knocked the ball out of Finn Treacy’s hands as the Irishman was about to touch down. It was a crucial intervention which kept Cardiff in front ahead of Bowen sealing the win with a late interception.

Reflecting on his form, Sheedy - who turns 30 later this month - says: “I’m playing okay. I felt pretty happy towards the end of last season. My last five or six games, I was in a good place.

“I’ve had a full pre-season for the first time in about four years, which has been nice. I feel fit, I feel well.

“I’m the happiest I’ve been on a rugby field for five years. I feel free. I enjoy coming to work every day, and I’m really excited about where we can go as a group.

“When you retire, you remember winning things and trophies. So, as a team, we’re determined to get as much done as we can this year.”

On his development as a playmaker, he says: “As you get older, you get a bit more pragmatic and learn how to manage a game.

“I still like to play what I see. I don’t want to lose that kind of element to my game, that running threat, that kind of no fear attitude. If it’s on from deep, I still want to be able to pull the trigger.

“But, at the same time, you’ve got to have that game management as a 10. Hopefully, as I have grown older and learned a bit more, that part of my game has improved.

“It’s not changing your game, it’s adding layers to it, so hopefully I have done that.

“As a 10, it’s all about time in the saddle. I've had plenty of time there and I'd like to think I've got a decent rugby IQ.”

Born, raised and schooled in Cardiff, Sheedy came up through the regional pathway, but then, at the age of 16, he crossed the bridge to study at Millfield School in Somerset and that led to a 10-year spell with Bristol Bears for whom he played more than 160 games.

Now, though, he’s back home and into his second season in the Welsh capital.

"I always wanted to play for Cardiff and I knew it was going to happen, but I just didn't know when,” he says.

“It’s been very, very special to come back home.

“As soon as I knew there was a chance of joining, I was really keen to make it happen.

“The emotional part of coming back to my hometown was a big factor.”

Running out at the Arms Park is all the more poignant for Sheedy as he used to watch matches there with his father Philip, who passed away in 2022.

“I remember coming here with my dad when I was really young,” he says.

“We would go down the Arms Park every other week to watch the Blues, as they were at the time.

“You had guys like Nicky Robinson, Ben Blair, Paul Tito, and then Jonah Lomu for a season. They were good days.

“I know my dad would be looking down at me and be very proud of me putting on the Cardiff jersey. That was a massive part of me coming home.”

It’s now three years since Sheedy won the last of his 16 international caps but hope springs eternal.

"I still lie in bed and dream of wearing the Wales shirt again," he admits.

"Any player who doesn't dream of playing for their country is probably in the wrong profession. But it's never going to happen unless I put together some form for Cardiff."