“Sean opened the door and Tadhg was there with his cap on, holding out a pizza. He was thinking, ‘Where’s Jeremy Beadle? I’m getting stitched up here!”
It took Sean Cronin several beats, and an assurance from his young teammate that there were no hidden cameras, before it dawned on him that Tadhg Beirne was double-jobbing. Making early strides in the Leinster Rugby academy, at the time, Beirne was delivering pizzas around Dublin for some extra cash.
Delivering food to senior teammates may have garnered Beirne early attention, in those academy days, but injury set-backs left coaches focusing on his peers while he waited for his big break. Part of the Ireland U20s squad in 2012, it took until September 2015 until Beirne, then aged 23, made his pro debut.
Beirne’s breakthrough season at Leinster was not so much bittersweet as painfully sour. He made four sub appearances, totalling 39 minutes, and was told by Leo Cullen, midway through the season, he would not be getting a new contract. Enquiries were made at the other provinces, but it was looking grim. “No one wanted me,” Beirne once confided, “so I didn’t have a choice.”
Abe Kerr, his agent at the time, reached out further afield and Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac offered Beirne a short-term contract. As well as the usual injury and international call-ups toll, Scarlets forwards Jake Ball and Aaron Shingler both needed a bit of time off, with newborns arriving in their families. Beirne’s abilities to cover all second and back row positions came in handy. He ended up playing 24 times, that first Scarlets season, helping the Welsh region to PRO12 title glory. “If they hadn’t had those kids, then, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today,” he told me, after Munster lured him back to Ireland in 2018.
There were no guarantees, even back then, that a return to Ireland would come hand-in-hand with international appearances but, one point proven, Beirne was a man on a mission. “I want to go home and find out if I’m good enough to play for my country,” he declared.
The Eadestown native, then aged 26, went straight into Ireland’s end-of-season squad, as they travelled Down Under to face the Wallabies. Many supporters and rugby reporters felt Beirne should have gone straight into Ireland’s starting XV, but Joe Schmidt was more cautious. In various guises, Devin Toner, Iain Henderson and James Ryan had paired up as Ireland romped to a Six Nations Grand Slam, earlier that year. Quinn Roux was picked on the bench for the First Test loss Suncorp Stadium. Beirne was handed the 19 jersey was the final two Tests, coming on as a replacement back row for the final stages of both Irish victories.
Saturday’s 52-17 win over Fiji, at Aviva Stadium, saw Beirne at his ornery best. He stuck 12 tackles, won a big turnover inside Ireland’s half, stole one Fijian lineout and was such a breakdown pest that the visitors gave away two penalties trying to clear him out.
In Schmidt’s time as Ireland head coach, he never truly settled on giving Beirne a full crack. He had six starts under the Kiwi (three in the second row, three at blindside) and was on the bench in seven further games. Schmidt returns after five years out of the Ireland job, on the same week as Beirne achieved a commendable rugby feat, at the World Rugby Awards. Interestingly enough, Schmidt is back on the scene as Andy Farrell, his old assistant, finds himself pondering where best to accommodate Beirne for the Irish cause.
Saturday’s 52-17 win over Fiji, at Aviva Stadium, saw Beirne at his ornery best. He stuck 12 tackles, won a big turnover inside Ireland’s half, stole one Fijian lineout and was such a breakdown pest that the visitors gave away two penalties trying to clear him out. Fiji were into double figures for penalties conceded after only 32 minutes of the match, with Beirne and Caelan Doris causing no end of trouble.
Tadhg Beirne had some big moments for Ireland last weekend against Argentina.
This was a powerful tackle on Juan Martín González, with James Ryan joining for a massive gainline win. pic.twitter.com/fpQZ3iXdg8
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) November 21, 2024
It was the sort of Beirne performance we have become accustomed to, during the Farrell tenure. The Munster captain has the most appearances of any Ireland player since Farrell took over from Schmidt. One could argue that he remains underrated, only because he does not generate much headlines, stand-out praise or debate in the wider rugby sphere. He is simply appreciated for being one of Ireland’s most effective players, in this era. He is more respected than lauded.
On Sunday in Monaco, though, came further recognition of his impact in the game. For the second time in three selections, Beirne was named in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. This year it was ahead of the likes of Scott Barrett, Maro Itoje and Franco Mostert. This is the fourth such selection of that ‘Best XV’ – voted for by rugby legends and select media members – and only Eben Etzebeth (3) has more inclusions. This year, they are paired together and very few are cribbing. It is an impressive achievement for one of professional rugby’s late starters.
Peter O’Mahony has gone from captain to bench impact, but Farrell needs someone like Beirne at blindside to be a genuine lineout option. O’Mahony, and his incredible vertical jumps, helped glue that set-piece together for many years.
Beirne was named alongside the Springbok leviathan, Etzebeth in the latest Dream Team, but three of his last Test starts have been at blindside. Farrell wants more heft in his second row and is taking a good look at Joe McCarthy and James Ryan. Beirne was switched to blindside, last summer, with an eye on the future. Previous to that Second Test against South Africa, in Durban, Beirne played second row in 31 of his 35 international starts for Ireland.
Peter O’Mahony has gone from captain to bench impact, but Farrell needs someone like Beirne at blindside to be a genuine lineout option. O’Mahony, and his incredible vertical jumps, helped glue that set-piece together for many years. Still, Ireland’s lineout has been successfully targeted in some big games, over the past three years. Replacing O’Mahony there will require some live ammo testing, with Cormac Izuchukwu the latest to don the ‘6’ jersey.
To my mind, Beirne and McCarthy represent the best Ireland second row pairing, right now. James Ryan has not exactly scaled the dizzy heights many predicted for him, back around that 2018 Grand Slam, but remains a dependable Test operator. Ryan Baird has not appreciably pushed on since making his Test debut in 2021. You have the likes of Thomas Ahern and Edwin Edogbo – if they can get clear provincial runs – as potentials for next summer’s tour to Eastern Europe. Evan O’Connell and Alan Spicer are two more Ireland U20 prospects that may be called in for a taste of the Ireland set-up.
It will be fascinating to see what jersey Beirne finds himself in, against the Wallabies. Farrell has started McCarthy, Ryan and Beirne at 4, 5 and 6 in Ireland’s last three Test matches against Tier One nations. The temptation will be to stick, rather than twisting.
No matter what row he packs down in, Beirne will be there again. He no longer has to prove anyone wrong, but it does not stop him playing that way.
Great player, deserves all the credit and certainly the best 5 out there right now.
He's really prospered under Farrell. Many of his older teammates used to renmark on how horizontal and chilled he is, so interesting to see his recent step up to captaincy.