The first breakdown turnover Tadhg Beirne won in his professional rugby career.
This was on 3 October 2015 when Leinster hosted the Dragons at the RDS.
Beirne got just over 10 minutes off the bench in just his second cap. He accumulated a total of 39 minutes for the province in four replacement appearances in that 2015/16 campaign before being released at the end of the season.
This image of Beirne jackaling in his blue scrum cap has become deeply familiar to fans of Irish rugby.
That’s Josh van der Flier in his red scrum cap, while Rhys Ruddock has just made the tackle, James Tracy is folding around the corner, Luke McGrath is in the number 21 shirt, and Garry Ringrose – starting on the wing – is at the bottom of the shot.
What this collector’s item underlines is that Beirne was making turnovers right from the beginning of his career. He hasn’t really stopped since, earning a name for himself at Scarlets partly because of his turnover threat, then taking his talents onto the Test stage with Ireland as he made the move to Munster.
As well as becoming one of the best players in the world for Ireland, the Kildare man has become a giant for Munster.
Beirne’s most recent appearance for the province should have been a happier one. It was the skipper’s 100th cap for Munster when they faced Castres at Thomond Park in January, but they lost.
That’s why they’re in the Challenge Cup round of 16 today away to Exeter. Beirne has played for Munster only seven times this season so far because of his international commitments. He made his seasonal bow with a sensational return when Clayton McMillan’s side beat Leinster at Croke Park in October.
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Yet that was one of just two wins Beirne has enjoyed with Munster this season. The 34-year-old certainly hasn’t had an enjoyable campaign with his province so far, meaning he will be ultra-determined to help them finish strongly now.
After playing in all five of Ireland’s Six Nations games, starting four, Beirne wasn’t part of Munster’s recent URC tour of South Africa. So today’s game against Exeter at Sandy Park sees the captain make a welcome return in the second row.
While Beirne can’t win games on his own, there’s no doubt that having him back gives Munster a much greater chance of happy endings in the Challenge Cup and URC this season.
Beirne offloads to Alex Nankivell. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
His team-mates are thrilled to have him available again. Kiwi centre Alex Nankivell, who joined Munster in 2023, is embarrassed to admit he didn’t know much about Beirne before he arrived from New Zealand.
But having learned all about Beirne’s class, Nankivell says the Munster skipper reminds him of one of his former Chiefs team-mates, a legendary All Blacks lock.
“Honestly, he reminds me a lot of Brodie Retallick,” says Nankivell.
“You don’t look at him and be like, ‘Oh, he’s real jacked’ or ‘He looks super powerful’ or anything. He’s just got this ability to play rugby.
“His nous is incredible. Same as Brodie was at Chiefs. He couldn’t lift weight in the gym. He just looks like a big lanky fella.
“I’m not saying Tadhg can’t lift weight in the gym! Sorry, Tadhg…
“Brodie’s just got this farmer strength. His feel for the game is so incredible, and I think that’s Tadhg. He’s just got that unbelievable understanding of the game and he’s world-class.
“I’m actually real embarrassed about it, but I didn’t really know who he was when I came over here. I’m actually embarrassed about it, to be honest.
“But probably the access we have to Northern Hemisphere rugby isn’t great in New Zealand, just with the time difference.
“But seeing him play, I’m like, ‘Jesus, he’s unbelievable.’”
It’s also unsurprising that Nankivell says Beirne lifts everyone around him simply by being part of the team.
There’s the breakdown threat, the lineout skills, the ball-handling quality, and his physical aggression, but Beirne’s presence also improves Munster.
Beirne reminds Nankivell of Brodie Retallick.
“Just when he’s on the team, the influence that he has on other people, I feel like when you run out with Tadhg, you know exactly what you’re going to get from him and it lifts everyone around him.
“You know what I mean? Just his consistency to do that is mad. It’s a huge, huge boost for us.”
Beirne joins fellow Ireland internationals and key men Craig Casey and Jack Crowley in the Munster team today.
We saw last weekend against the Bulls in Pretoria just how big a difference that halfbacks Casey and Crowley make to Munster, with the scrum-half and out-half driving a much-improved performance after a hammering at the hands of the Sharks the week before.
Nankivell explains that it’s not just game day when Casey and Crowley make a difference. Even in simple walk-throughs during the training week, that pair are on everyone’s backs, making sure that every detail is right, and letting people know when things are off.
“You can see the confidence that they come into training with and how they lift the group and how they hold standards high and hold people to account,” says Nankivell.
“And that’s what you want. Sometimes it might be a little narky and things like that, and I’m the same. But you see, that’s what they did in the Bulls week.
“They drove our week, those two. And you saw the progress that we made from the Sharks to the Bulls. That’s what we need if we want to have good standards and go into a game with confidence, knowing that we’ve done everything we can.”
If Munster are to win in Exeter today, Casey and Crowley will be key in bossing their display, while Beirne will be as big a menace at the breakdown as he always has been.
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'When you run out with Tadhg, it lifts everyone. He's world-class'
HERE IT IS in all of its glory.
The first breakdown turnover Tadhg Beirne won in his professional rugby career.
This was on 3 October 2015 when Leinster hosted the Dragons at the RDS.
Beirne got just over 10 minutes off the bench in just his second cap. He accumulated a total of 39 minutes for the province in four replacement appearances in that 2015/16 campaign before being released at the end of the season.
This image of Beirne jackaling in his blue scrum cap has become deeply familiar to fans of Irish rugby.
That’s Josh van der Flier in his red scrum cap, while Rhys Ruddock has just made the tackle, James Tracy is folding around the corner, Luke McGrath is in the number 21 shirt, and Garry Ringrose – starting on the wing – is at the bottom of the shot.
What this collector’s item underlines is that Beirne was making turnovers right from the beginning of his career. He hasn’t really stopped since, earning a name for himself at Scarlets partly because of his turnover threat, then taking his talents onto the Test stage with Ireland as he made the move to Munster.
As well as becoming one of the best players in the world for Ireland, the Kildare man has become a giant for Munster.
Beirne’s most recent appearance for the province should have been a happier one. It was the skipper’s 100th cap for Munster when they faced Castres at Thomond Park in January, but they lost.
That’s why they’re in the Challenge Cup round of 16 today away to Exeter. Beirne has played for Munster only seven times this season so far because of his international commitments. He made his seasonal bow with a sensational return when Clayton McMillan’s side beat Leinster at Croke Park in October.
Yet that was one of just two wins Beirne has enjoyed with Munster this season. The 34-year-old certainly hasn’t had an enjoyable campaign with his province so far, meaning he will be ultra-determined to help them finish strongly now.
After playing in all five of Ireland’s Six Nations games, starting four, Beirne wasn’t part of Munster’s recent URC tour of South Africa. So today’s game against Exeter at Sandy Park sees the captain make a welcome return in the second row.
While Beirne can’t win games on his own, there’s no doubt that having him back gives Munster a much greater chance of happy endings in the Challenge Cup and URC this season.
His team-mates are thrilled to have him available again. Kiwi centre Alex Nankivell, who joined Munster in 2023, is embarrassed to admit he didn’t know much about Beirne before he arrived from New Zealand.
But having learned all about Beirne’s class, Nankivell says the Munster skipper reminds him of one of his former Chiefs team-mates, a legendary All Blacks lock.
“Honestly, he reminds me a lot of Brodie Retallick,” says Nankivell.
“You don’t look at him and be like, ‘Oh, he’s real jacked’ or ‘He looks super powerful’ or anything. He’s just got this ability to play rugby.
“His nous is incredible. Same as Brodie was at Chiefs. He couldn’t lift weight in the gym. He just looks like a big lanky fella.
“I’m not saying Tadhg can’t lift weight in the gym! Sorry, Tadhg…
“Brodie’s just got this farmer strength. His feel for the game is so incredible, and I think that’s Tadhg. He’s just got that unbelievable understanding of the game and he’s world-class.
“I’m actually real embarrassed about it, but I didn’t really know who he was when I came over here. I’m actually embarrassed about it, to be honest.
“But probably the access we have to Northern Hemisphere rugby isn’t great in New Zealand, just with the time difference.
“But seeing him play, I’m like, ‘Jesus, he’s unbelievable.’”
It’s also unsurprising that Nankivell says Beirne lifts everyone around him simply by being part of the team.
There’s the breakdown threat, the lineout skills, the ball-handling quality, and his physical aggression, but Beirne’s presence also improves Munster.
“Just when he’s on the team, the influence that he has on other people, I feel like when you run out with Tadhg, you know exactly what you’re going to get from him and it lifts everyone around him.
“You know what I mean? Just his consistency to do that is mad. It’s a huge, huge boost for us.”
Beirne joins fellow Ireland internationals and key men Craig Casey and Jack Crowley in the Munster team today.
We saw last weekend against the Bulls in Pretoria just how big a difference that halfbacks Casey and Crowley make to Munster, with the scrum-half and out-half driving a much-improved performance after a hammering at the hands of the Sharks the week before.
Nankivell explains that it’s not just game day when Casey and Crowley make a difference. Even in simple walk-throughs during the training week, that pair are on everyone’s backs, making sure that every detail is right, and letting people know when things are off.
“You can see the confidence that they come into training with and how they lift the group and how they hold standards high and hold people to account,” says Nankivell.
“And that’s what you want. Sometimes it might be a little narky and things like that, and I’m the same. But you see, that’s what they did in the Bulls week.
“They drove our week, those two. And you saw the progress that we made from the Sharks to the Bulls. That’s what we need if we want to have good standards and go into a game with confidence, knowing that we’ve done everything we can.”
If Munster are to win in Exeter today, Casey and Crowley will be key in bossing their display, while Beirne will be as big a menace at the breakdown as he always has been.
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Alex Nankivell craig casey jack crowley Leaders Tadhg Beirne World Class