The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) have announced that utility forward Tadhg Beirne has signed a new two-year contract extension to remain with Irish Rugby and Munster until 2027.
After making his debut for Ireland against the Wallabies in 2018, the 33-year-old has become a regular starter in Ireland’s pack and his commitment to Irish Rugby for a further two years is a major boost ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Beirne, who can play at lock or on the flank, made his 58th Test appearance for Ireland in their 32-18 Six Nations victory against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
He was in Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby’s starting side for that match and played a full 80 minutes, something which he also did against England their Championship opener.
Beirne also played every minute of Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series campaign and was one of four Ireland players named in the World Rugby Men’s XVs Dream Team of the Year after shining for his country on a consistent basis throughout 2024.
He has also impressed at club level for Munster and has made 85 appearances for the Irish province since joining them at the start of the 2018/19 season and he was this season named club captain.
‘Dream come true’
Commenting on his contract extension, Beirne said: “It is a source of great pride to represent Ireland and Munster and I am delighted to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
“Playing in Ireland is a dream come true and I believe that Irish Rugby is in a strong place with competitive environments across all of the provinces continuing to drive the highest levels of competition at national team level.
“I am hugely excited about the future and will do my best to hopefully deliver for our amazing supporters over the coming seasons.”
IRFU performance director David Humphreys added: “Tadhg is a world-class talent whose consistent levels of performance for club and country have been of the highest standards for many years.
“Since breaking into the scene with Clongowes Wood College, Lansdowne and then into the Leinster Academy, he has taken the road less travelled and displayed enormous durability and consistency of performances in achieving league successes with the Scarlets and more recently Munster.
“For Ireland he has been a mainstay in the pack across a hugely successful era and it is a great boost for the IRFU and Munster Rugby, whom he captains, that he has extended his long association in Irish Rugby through until the Rugby World Cup 2027.”
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/another-huge-boost-for-munster-as-ireland-lock-in-world-class-forward-until-the-2027-rugby-world-cup
