Tadhg Gerard Beirne (; born 8 January 1992) is an Irish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player, currently playing for Munster in the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

and the European Rugby Champions Cup. His primary playing position is

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, but can also play in the back-row.

Club career

Leinster

Beirne graduated through the

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

academy and made his senior debut from the bench against the

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

on 12 September 2015. Beirne made a further three appearances for Leinster, playing twice against

Dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

and once against

Scarlets The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...

, a team he would later go on to play for. All of these appearances came off the bench. Beirne spent most of his career at Leinster playing for their A team and he earned 10 caps for them, making 9 appearances in the British and Irish Cup. Beirne was then released by Leinster.

Scarlets

It was announced on 28 June 2016 that Beirne had moved to

. Beirne made his Scarlets debut off the bench in the opening game of the season, a loss against Munster. He then played a massive role in Scarlets successful 2016–17 season, in which they beat Munster 46–22 in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final to win their first silverware since the 2003–04 season.

Munster

In October 2017, Munster announced the signing of Beirne on a two-year contract, which began at the start of the 2018–19 season. Beirne was named the ''Guinness Players' Player of the Season'' when the 2017–18 Pro14 awards were announced in August 2018. He made his Munster debut on 7 September 2018, coming on as a replacement for Dave O'Callaghan in the provinces 2018–19 Pro14 fixture against

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

. Beirne made his first start for Munster on 14 September 2018, doing so in their 49–13 win against Ospreys in Irish Independent Park. Beirne scored his first try for Munster in the provinces 30–22 defeat at the hands of

on 6 October 2018. Beirne made his Champions Cup debut for Munster on 13 October 2018, earning the

Man-of-the-Match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

in the provinces opening 2018–19 pool 2 fixture against English side

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played its home m ...

, which ended in a 10–10 draw in

Sandy Park Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium and conference and banqueting centre in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs, who from the 2010–11 season have been playing in the Gallagher Premiership, the top flight of the English rug ...

. He was Man-of-the-Match in Munster's 26–17 win against

on 29 December 2018 and in their 9–7 win against

in round 6 of the Champions Cup on 19 January 2019, a result the ensured Munster advanced to a record 18th Champions Cup quarter-final. Beirne signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in May 2019. He was named in the 2018–19 Pro14 Dream Team when it was announced in May 2019, his second such accolade, having also been named in the 2017–18 Pro14 Dream Team whilst a

player. Beirne suffered a sustained a fractured ankle in Munster's 15–6 defeat away to English side Saracens in round 4 of the 2019–20 Champions Cup on 14 December 2019, and subsequently had to undergo surgery for the injury in January 2020. Beirne made his comeback from the injury in Munster's 2019–20 Pro14 round 15 fixture against

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

on 30 August 2020, scoring a try and winning the Man-of-the-Match award in Munster's 49–12 victory. When regular captain

Peter O'Mahony Peter O'Mahony (born 17 September 1989) is an Irish rugby union player. He plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup and Ireland internationally. During his career, O'Mahony has captained Presentatio ...

was injured in the warm-up ahead of Munster's 2021–22 United Rugby Championship round 10 fixture at home to provincial rivals

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

on 8 January 2022, Beirne, who had originally been named on the bench, was promoted to the starting XV in O'Mahony's place and also to the captaincy, leading Munster for the first time and earning the

player of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...

award in the 18–13 win. Beirne signed a new three-year central contract with Munster and the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and ...

in February 2022, a deal that will see him remain with the province until at least July 2025. Beirne earned his 50th cap for Munster in their 24–17 win against provincial rivals

in round 8 of the 2022–23 United Rugby Championship on 26 November 2022.

Ireland

Beirne made nine appearances for the Ireland under-20s and was part of the team which finished 6th in the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship. Beirne also played for the Ireland sevens team in 2015. Beirne received his first senior international call-up in May 2018, being selected in the

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

squad to tour Australia in June, and made his senior Ireland debut on 16 June 2018, coming on as a replacement for

in the second test against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, before also coming off the bench for Ireland during their 20–16 third test victory, a win that sealed a 2–1 historic series victory for Ireland. Beirne made his first start for Ireland against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on 3 November 2018, doing so in their Autumn international in

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and scoring two tries in his sides 54–7 victory, whilst also starting in the 57–14 win against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

three weeks later. Beirne was selected in the 31-man Ireland squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, having featured in the warm-up matches against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. During the World Cup itself, Beirne featured off the bench in Ireland's opening 27–3 win against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and their shock 19–12 defeat against hosts

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and started in the 35–0 win against

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and 47–5 win against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

in their final pool game, before featuring off the bench again in the comprehensive 46–14 defeat against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in the quarter-finals, which brought an end to Ireland's 2019 World Cup. During the delayed 2020 Six Nations Championship, Beirne started in the 50–17 win against

and the 35–27 defeat against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, then featured off the bench in the

Autumn Nations Cup The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...

-opening 32–9 win against

and started in the 23–10 win against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The 2021 Six Nations saw Beirne secure his place in Ireland's starting XV, as he started in the 21–16 defeat against

, the 15–13 defeat against

, the 48–10 away win against Italy, the 27–24 away win against Scotland and the 32–18 win against

in the final round. Beirne was named in the 2021 Six Nations ''Team of the Championship'', having also been nominated for the ''Player of the Tournament''. During the 2021 Autumn Nations Series, Beirne started in Ireland's 60–5 win against

on 6 November, before featuring off the bench in the famous 29–20 win against

on 13 November. After Iain Henderson was injured minutes before kick-off, Beirne was promoted from the bench to start against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in Ireland's final fixture of the series on 21 November, scoring a try in their 53–7 home win. Beirne started in Ireland's 29–7 win against

in their opening fixture of the 2022 Six Nations Championship on 5 February, their 30–24 defeat away to

on 12 February, their 57–6 home win against

on 27 February, their 32–15 away win against

on 12 March, and the 26–5 home win against

on 19 March that secured the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

for Ireland. Despite having been out with a thigh injury since the Scotland fixture, Beirne was selected in the squad for the 2022 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand, and started in the 42–19 defeat against

in the first test on 2 July. Beirne also started in Ireland's historic 23–12 win in the second test on 9 July, in what was Ireland's first ever away win against New Zealand, and in the 32–22 third test win against New Zealand on 16 July that secured Ireland's historic first ever series win in New Zealand. During the 2022 Autumn Nations Series, Beirne started for Ireland in their 19–16 win against world champions

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

on 5 November, the 35–17 win against

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

on 12 November, and the 13–10 win against

on 19 November. Beirne was named in

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

's ''Men's 15s Dream Team of the Year'' at their annual awards held in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

in November 2022.

British & Irish Lions

Beirne earned his first call up for the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

when the squad for the 2021 tour to South Africa was announced in May 2021. He made his non-test debut for the Lions and scored a try in their 28–10 warm-up victory against

on 26 June, before starting and scoring two tries in the Lions' 71–31 win against the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

on 10 July, featuring off the bench in the 17–13 defeat against South Africa 'A' on 14 July, and starting in the 49–3 win against the Stormers on 17 July. Beirne made his test debut for the Lions as a replacement in their 22–17 first test victory against

on 24 July, and featured off the bench again in the second test on 31 July, which South Africa won 27–9 to take the series to a deciding third test. However, Beirne was not selected for the third and final test, with head coach

Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland (born 17 September 1963) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is currently in his second spell as the head coach of the Wales national team. As head coach of Wales from 2007 to 2019, he won four Six N ...

selecting Wales' Adam Beard in the number 19 jersey instead.

Personal life

Beirne married his longtime partner Harriet Fuller in August 2022.

Statistics

International analysis by opposition

Correct as of 19 November 2022Tadhg Beirne
''ESPN Scrum'', 3 October 2019 * indicates inclusion of caps for

Honours

Scarlets

: **Winner (1): 2016–17

Ireland

: **Winner (1):

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Individual

*Pro14 Players' Player of the Season: **Winner (1): 2017–18 *World Rugby Men's 15s Dream Team of the Year: **Winner (1):

References

External links

Munster ProfileLeinster ProfileIreland ProfileBritish & Irish Lions ProfileURC Profile
*
U20 Six Nations Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beirne, Tadhg 1992 births Living people Rugby union players from County Kildare Irish rugby union players Lansdowne Football Club players Leinster Rugby players Llandovery RFC players Scarlets players Munster Rugby players Munster Rugby captains Ireland international rugby sevens players Ireland international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights