Ireland star confirmed as Lions Player of the Series after final Test defeat to Australia and Finn Russell mix-up
Beirne has landed the official Lions Player of the Series
after some confusion.
The news comes after a bizarre mix-up that involved Finn Russell after the final
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British and Irish Lions' captain Maro Itoje raises the trophy as he celebrates with his teammates after their 2-1 series win over Australia
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Tadhg Beirne was named as the official player of the series - with Finn Russell earning the Howden Sponsors award
The Bath star was named Howden Player of the Series, with the sponsors selecting Russell as the standout performer.
But
Beirne, now a two-time tourist, played every minute Down Under and has now featured in five of the last six Lions Tests.
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He came off the bench twice in the 2021 Tour of South Africa.
Before the official trophy presentation, sponsors Howden initially awarded the Player of the Series gong to Scotland out-half Russell.
But it was Beirne who was rightly handed the official Lions honour.
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"But we have to try and ignore the fact that we lost today. The goal was to win today.'
The Kildare native went on to hail Joe Schmidt's young Aussie side.
Australia and Lions rugby stars are forced off the pitch mid-game due to threat of lightning
He added: 'Credit to Australia. They took it to us in this weather, and unfortunately, we weren't able to come away with the win.'
'Some of our defensive sets were excellent out there, but we kept giving them more opportunities with penalties.
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"It wasn't that the energy wasn't there, it was just errors, accuracy and discipline that cost us today.'
Looking back on the tour, the 32-year-old said it was an experience he'll never forget.
He concluded: 'We still won the series, and that's all that matters. There are some special characters in there... we've loved every minute of this.'
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