Tadhg Beirne: "I'm not going to lie, I did feel the pressure this week"

RTÉ News​

6 days ago

It only took 19 seconds of Saturday's first Test between the British and Irish Lions and Australia to realise that Tadhg Beirne was going to have himself a day.
The game was only three phases old when the Ireland international pounced on Wallabies centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii when he was tackled by Tadhg Furlong, earning a penalty which Finn Russell knocked between the posts for an early 3-0 lead.
That was just the start of it for Beirne, who would go on to be credited with three turnovers and a stolen lineout, while his 23 tackles were the most of any player at Suncorp Stadium.
"You've got to love those occasions," the 33-year-old said after Saturday's 27-19 win.
"You've got to love every minute of it. You've got to love the dark moments when you are blowing out your arse and love when you are camped on your own line. You have to love every part of it and I certainly did today."
The Munster captain would have been viewed as a nailed-on starter - either in the second or back row - prior to the tour, but after failing to hit his usual heights earlier in the warm-up games, his selection raised some eyebrows last Thursday when Andy Farrell preferred him to the in-form Ollie Chessum at blindside flanker for the first Test against the Wallabies.
Farrell justified that call, and the decision to start Tom Curry at openside, by pointing to their track record for delivering on the big days, and both players repaid the faith shown in them by their head coach.
"I felt the pressure. I'm not going to lie, I did feel the pressure this week," Beirne added.
"There are some things you can't shy away from. A lot of people calling for your head out there. I know my performances to this date weren't up to par by my standards, so to be in this team, Faz has put a lot of trust in me and it was an honour to be selected.
"I had to put in a performance today. All of us did. Everyone around me put in great performances and the best part about it was that we were able to make each other look good, particularly for the first half.
"This is the game. Big games. You want to perform. You either step up to it or you don't. I tried my best to step up to it and hopefully when they review the game they will be happy with my performance. Everyone stepped up to that performance."
The determination from both Beirne and Curry was clear from the first whistle. While Beirne came up with that jackal penalty on the third phase of the game, Curry flattened James Slipper with a crunching tackle seconds earlier.
"His [Curry's] work rate is outstanding," Beirne said of his baxck row partner. "I suppose there's questions over some people, we see it as well over selection.
"But the tape we have seen of Tom over the last couple of weeks has been outstanding. His workrate off the ball, everything he is doing that people aren't seeing is incredible work and that is why he has been selected, it is for those moments, the incredible fitness and workrate he has. So fair play to him."
And Beirne says that determined start was helped by some special words of encouragment from the head coach.
"Andy [Farrell] had a quiet word with the back row, the captains, and he said a few things to us.
"He put a little bit of pressure on us without putting pressure on us, you know, as Andy does. But it gives you motivation and it gives you a little bit of realisation as to where his head's at and the opportunity that's being presented to us.
"Those words certainly sat with me for the 24 hours leading up to the game. I knew how important this game was and not just because of what he said, but it's also a massively important game because each week is the biggest game of your career on these tours.
"I'm 33 now, I'm not going to be on another Lions tour, let's be realistic, so these are special moments. These are huge games and I want to be involved in all of them, so I knew how important this game was and hopefully I've done enough to help this team win tonight and hopefully be selected next week."
Barring injury, there will be no doubt over Beirne's place in the side for this week's second Test in Melbourne.
And four years on from seeing the Lions lose a series to South Africa, having won the opening Test, he's determined not to go through it again.
"I was there last time and we won the first Test and lost the last two, so we can't just sit back and relax now.
"We have to go forward and that's where it's going to be challenging next week. They're going to expect a performance, they're going to elevate their performance, they've a few lads coming back and a few big names, a few world-class performers.
"So they'll be back next week and the challenge becomes even more difficult because not only do they have some world-class names back but they also have a lot more to fight for because they know if they lose, they've lost the series. So next week is huge game. It's going to be tough in Melbourne."