TADHG BEIRNE IS getting used to picking up awards, and on Tuesday evening at the Guinness Storehouse the Munster and Ireland player added the Guinness Rugby Writers Ireland Men’s 15 Player of the Year award to his collection.

Beirne was the sole Munster player nominated on a five-man shortlist which also included Leinster’s Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Jack Conan and Jamison Gibson-Park. 

“It’s a lovely, lovely accolade to get for sure and I appreciate those who voted for me and it’s obviously a big honour. A lot of big names have won it in the past so, yeah, a big honour,” Beirne says.

Beirne has become an indispensable member of the Ireland starting team. Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO Matteo Ciambelli / INPHO / INPHO

Beirne’s strong form has come in teams which have wavered across the past 12 months. At Munster, the players had to deal with the disruption of losing head coach Graham Rowntree last October before piecing together a late season rally, notching a memorable Champions Cup win away in La Rochelle before falling at the hands of eventual champions Bordeaux-Begles, while in the URC, the province lost a thrilling quarter-final at the Sharks on penalties. And while the Lions tour delivered a 2-1 Series win, Ireland’s form was less convincing, finishing third in the Six Nations. 

“You find yourself thinking of a few things, usually losses! But look, it was a season full of ups and downs, like any season.

“At club level it was a season that was kind of a little bit all over the place between, obviously, the massive (honour) of being named the captain and then everything that went on in Munster with the coaches and then we weren’t playing the best. But we finished the season reasonably well and gave ourselves an opportunity and came up short with the Sharks. So they were kind of positives.

“You look at the positives rather than the negatives there, and then obviously with Ireland we didn’t have the Six Nations we would have hoped for so there were disappointments, but finishing the season off with the Lions on such a high was incredible. I think that’s obviously going to be the one that sticks out as such a highlight, and it will stick out as a career high for me in many years to come.”

The Kildare man delivered a series of outstanding performances across the Lions’ three Tests against Australia – displays which saw him named the Lions’ Player of the Series.

“You give up any personal awards to ensure that your team is winning, for sure. But they’re icing on the cake, being awarded that nice accolade at the end of that Lions series. From a personal point of view, it was a huge honour to win that and something I’ll probably look back in a few years and be very proud of.”

Beirne was the Lions' Player of the Series. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

The performances which landed that award came after Lions boss Andy Farrell had challenged his starting back rows to step up the occasion and quash any doubts around their selections. While Farrell picked Beirne at openside for all three Tests, ahead of the opening Wallabies clash there had been calls for in-form England flanker Ollie Chessum to get the vote.

Instead Farrell placed his faith in Beirne, who by his own admission had not been hitting his usual levels in the pre-Test tour games, and was duly rewarded.

“I think where I was at that point on the tour, you know, mindset-wise, realistically, I was under a bit of pressure,” Beirne says.

“I felt I was under a bit of pressure in terms of selection and all that kind of stuff and my performances needed to improve.

So I concentrated on different things in the game and it worked to my benefit and I’ve continued doing that since, preparing for games just a little bit differently, it’s helped a lot.

“Fingers crossed, I’ll be able to continue my performances and keep elevating.”  

Whether used in the second row or back row, Beirne now feels indispensable to both club and country. He’s started both November games against New Zealand and Japan at lock, and was also in the second row for all five Six Nations outings earlier this year, before his star turn at blindside for the Lions.

Yet it’s been a frustrating November so far for Beirne. He was red-carded just three minutes into Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand and while he was cleared to play in last weekend’s meeting with Japan, he was part of a team performance which again struggled for cohesion, with the lineout having familiar issues.

Beirne was outstanding as Munster beat Leinster in Croke Park. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Before all that, Beirne had delivered an all-time performance when Munster toppled Leinster in Croke Park last month. That’s the form Ireland hope to see from Beirne over the games against Australia and South Africa which close out this international window.

“You’re always looking at yourself and looking where you can improve. I know people probably looked at that (Croke Park) game and they’ve said about my turnovers and stuff, but I’m probably looking at the game differently and trying to figure out where I can even improve more.

“I think that’s where my focus will be over the next couple of weeks and how I can fit into the Irish system now and kind of implement my game as best I can to help my teammates and Ireland itself come away with big victories this November.”