When Andrew Sheridan and his now-wife were in the early stages of courtship, one of their first dates involved a trip to Cardiff and tickets for a Six Nations game. It was the Wales versus Ireland encounter of 2003 and Sheridan enjoyed it immensely. There are some distant shamrock roots to his family tree, while Siwan is from the mid-Wales market town of Builth Wells. Ireland won 25–24 and Sale's affable colossus has eagerly anticipated a return trip to the Millennium Stadium ever since.
The big man's long-standing wish will finally be granted this evening, albeit in circumstances which scarcely qualify as ideal. This time there can be no carefree pre-match stroll through the streets and romantic Valentine's Day gestures must wait. Unless England get a grip up front it could be a horribly long night, while Sheridan also stands at something of a personal crossroads. Is he still Mr Incredible's body double or is he suddenly plain old Bob Parr, his super powers neutered? Tonight may just supply some answers.
If anyone is equipped to silence the cry of "Fee, fi, fo, fum ..." emanating from the home dressing room, it is the approaching English giant. As Australia can testify, it never pays to underestimate an underdog of Sheridan's dimensions. Remember Marseille 2007, the World Cup quarter-final? Others, though, insist the 19st, 6ft 4in prop sums up the inherent contradictions of Martin Johnson's side. Man mountain or flat-track bully? The former Welsh great Graham Price was unconvinced in 2006 – "I've watched Sheridan closely and against hard-nosed players he's not so happy, he's overrated" – and some still feel the same way.
According to England's scrummaging guru Graham Rowntree, there is no debate. Against Italy, Sheridan made a very creditable 13 tackles. Interestingly, too, there was not a single scrum in the game until the 20th minute. It's hard to stand out when there's no one to push. He may not have carried the ball much but, frankly, who did?
Rowntree, similarly, rejects the argument that the 29-year-old needs to get angrier and pull his weight more. "He's a different sort of bloke. He's not a guy who thumps his chest before a game like Dean Richards. Sheri's very quiet but he'll go about his business. His tackling is exceptional and he's one of our most effective clear-out guys, which every team needs."
Rowntree, a Test loosehead as recently as 2006, also thinks people are so busy studying Sheridan they are ignoring his changing habitat. Being big and strong is only half the story. "Scrums around the world these days are all about engagement. Despite being such a big man he's got to be very sharp and precise about what's doing. The world's best loosehead is Tony Woodcock, but he took five years to develop. It took me even longer and Sheri's still on that road."
Even the loyal Rowntree, though, concedes a dominant display opposite Adam Jones today would help all concerned. "Because of the colossus he is, he's always going to be measured by his scrummaging. That's something which we're progressing, but I'm sick of hearing about Marseille. Time moves on."
It is also clear both Rowntree and the "Beast of Bromley", who boasts a Maltese great-grandmother as well as a Scottish grandfather and an Irish great-grandfather, are quietly seething at this week's post-Italy reaction. "It's all about negativity, isn't it?" Rowntree complains. "We woke up on Sunday morning and you'd have thought we'd lost. We're doing our damnedest to improve but this team is shackled by expectation. The press at the moment ... I never realised [the criticism] would be as severe as it has been."
Sheridan, beneath his mild-mannered exterior, is equally irritated, which might be ominous for the Welsh. "We were up against a side who'd just run Australia close and beat Scotland last year. You guys were keen to forget that. If people want to stick knives in and criticise us we can live with that. All we can do is work hard and hope to improve."
It is clearly a sore point, so much so that he temporarily suspends his customary role as a man of few words. "I can sense everyone being negative outside the camp but that's par for the course for an England side in any sport. We know we're by no means top of the tree in terms of world rugby at the moment, but people always want to knock an English team.
"We might play some fantastic, lovely rugby but, if we've lost, I know without even looking what the headlines will be. I also know what the average England fan is thinking because they're affected by what the pundits on BBC or Sky are saying." Are the experts all wrong? "I think they're paid to give an opinion. As a player you simply concentrate on your own job. If you're not doing it well enough they'll get someone else in. It's as simple as that."
The flash of temper does not last. There is no more polite individual in the squad; even the chef in the reassuringly expensive restaurant at the team's Bagshot hotel sent him a little gift-wrapped present this week. Sheridan was simultaneously grateful, embarrassed and self-deprecating – "He's a Sale Sharks supporter" – as his massive hands cupped the small box with its lime-green ribbon.
Like many big men he is happiest when allowed to melt modestly into the background and pursue his real passion of song writing and playing guitar, mostly for the benefit of Siwan, who used to play rugby herself as a back-rower for the wonderfully-named Chew Valley Cats near Bristol. His retired father Dan once worked on the London Stock Exchange, while his brother Richard is a barrister, but Sheridan's destiny was obvious from an early age.
"Never before have I seen one player inject so much fear into the opposition and dominate so many games with a combination of size, speed and strength," marvelled his old Dulwich College rugby master Peter Allen. Only his wife's compatriots will complain should he wreak similar havoc this evening.
