The 33-year-old Munster man has been playing a number six recently.
Murray Kinsella Reports from Quinta do Lago FOUR OF TADHG Beirne’s last five starts for Ireland have come at blindside flanker.The recent trend started with the second Test of last summer’s tour of South Africa. Ireland had been outmuscled in the first Test and Andy Farrell responded by bringing James Ryan into the second row, with Beirne shifting to number six. A powerful Irish pack drove Farrell’s side to their second-ever win against the Springboks on South African soil.
Jack Conan is back in the mix after missing Ireland’s last two campaigns and his strong form, including obvious improvements in the lineout, means he’ll have been firmly in consideration for a start in the number six shirt, with Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris sure to be in the back row. Advertisement Beirne in action for Ireland in November. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“I probably find myself out in the wider channels a lot more at six than I would in the second row. That’s probably the biggest difference. “But it’s not a position I’ve been playing long enough in our system to figure out that stuff and it depends on the game as well. Sometimes, I think back to the year of the Lions, I was playing quite a bit of six and I got my hands in the ball quite a lot back then.
Beirne is certainly a player who does that. He produces lots of glamorous moments, especially at the defensive breakdown, but he also influences games in more subtle ways.
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