Munster star's reaction to claiming RPI Player of the Year award from his peers
Tadhg Beirne admits he was surprised to be voted the RPI Players' Players of the Year from his peers tonight.
Munster skipper Beirne, 31, saw off competition from his provincial colleague Tom Farrell plus his Ireland colleagues, the Leinster duo Jamison Gibson-Park and Caelan Doris.
The Kildare man, who has been selected for his second British and Irish Lions tour, was unable to pick up his award in person at the awards ceremony in Dublin as he is with Munster in Durban ahead of Saturday's URC quarter-final against the Sharks.
'I'm honoured to be named as the OCC Consulting Men's Players' Player of the Year," said Beirne. "It comes as quite a surprise given that Caelan, Tom and Jamison have all had brilliant seasons.
"To be chosen by my fellow Rugby Players Ireland members makes this award even more meaningful, and I really appreciate their support and acknowledgement.'
Aoife Dalton was named the Women's XVs Players' Player of the Year after a big year for the 22-year-old. The centre is already a key figure in the Ireland side and will be hugely influential at the Rugby World Cup in England later this year.
'It's a very exciting time to be involved with this group of players," she said. "To be recognised by them at such a crucial time for this team is hard to put into words. When I first came into camp, I could sense that something was beginning to build.
"And I think we have started to see the fruits of that over recent months both collectively and individually, through the performances of my fellow nominees Amee-Leigh (Costigan), Niamh (O'Dowd) and Dorothy (Wall).'
Eimear Considine, who announced her retirement during the season, was recognised for her sporting legacy and longstanding contribution to mental wellbeing discourse.
The Clare woman was presented with Zurich Contribution to Irish Society Award as Tackle Your Feelings kicked off its 10-year anniversary celebrations.
Dan Sheehan's spectacular return to Test action after his ACL lay-off saw him score a try off the bench in the Six Nations victory over England.
That effort earned him the Men's XVs Try of the Year, while Anna McGann was the winner of the Women's XVs Try of the Year for finishing off a sweeping team effort against Italy in the Six Nations.
Erin King, who was ruled out of the Women's World Cup with a serious knee injury, was named as the Women's XVs Young Player of the Year. The Wicklow woman picked up the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year last November.
Meanwhile, Sam Prendergast was named as the Men's XVs Young Player of the Year - with his brother Cian, Connacht's captain, on hand to present the Leinster and Ireland No.10 with the award.
Dylan O'Grady was named as the Men's 7s Players' Player of the Year and Lucinda Kinghan the Women's 7s Players' Player of the Year.
Ireland's Triple Crown success was named as the Moment of the Year with Irish captain Caelan Doris closing out the evening by accepting the award on behalf of his teammates.
OCC CONSULTING MEN'S XVs PLAYERS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Caelan Doris, Tom Farrell, Jamison Gibson-Park
OCC CONSULTING WOMEN'S XVs PLAYERS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Amee-Leigh Costigan, Niamh O'Dowd, Dorothy Wall
NEVIN SPENCE MEN'S XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Gus McCarthy, Ben Murphy
ENERGIA WOMEN's XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Ruth Campbell, Aoife Dalton
MSL MERCEDES-BENZ BALLSBRIDGE MEN'S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2025
Dan Sheehan (v England)
Nominees: Stewart Moore (v Stormers), Dan Sheehan (v Ulster Rugby)
AIB CORPORATE BANKING WOMEN'S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2025
Anna McGann (v Italy)
Nominees: Amee-Leigh Costigan (v England), Linda Djougang (v Wales)
TRITONLAKE MEN'S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Niall Comerford, Mark Roche
TRITONLAKE WOMEN'S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025
Nominees: Hannah Clarke, Kate Farrell-McCabe
ZURICH CONTRIBUTION TO IRISH SOCIETY AWARD 2025
DRUIDS GLEN HOTEL & GOLF RESORT MOMENT ON THE YEAR 2025
Ireland's Triple Crown Success accepted by Caelan Doris
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6 hours ago
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Tadhg Beirne voted OCC Consulting Men's XVs Players' Players of the Year
Munster captain Tadhg Beirne was voted OCC Consulting Men's XVs Players' Players of the Year 2025 at the Rugby Players Ireland Awards. But the Eadestown-born Kildare player was just one of the endless numbers of 'Leinster' players collecting/nominated for the 2024/25 season's of the other three nominees either play for or are from Leinster Caelan Doris, Tom Farrell (born Dublin) and Jamison out-half Sam Prendergast was named as the Nevin Spence Men's XVs Young Player of the Year and was presented with the award by his brother, Connacht Rugby captain Cian Prendergast, who was also born in nominees here were Gus McCarthy and Ben Murphy (born in Bray).Men's Seven Player of the Year Dylan O'Grady was a Leinster player before going into full-time Sevens from fellow Leinstr-born teammates Mark Roche and Niall Comerford. Ireland and Leinster captain Caelan Doris accepted the Druid's Glen Resort award on behalf of the team for their Six Nations Triple Crown the women's awards were unfolding Aoife Dalton won Aoife Dalton was named the OCC Consulting Women's XVs Players' Player of the Year with provincial teammate Niamh O'Dowd, Railway Union's Amee-Leigh Costigan and England-based Dorothy Wall as the nomineesLeinster's Erin King won the Women's XV Player of the Year ahead of fellow Leinster nominees Ruth Campbell and Aoife Leinster-based Dan Sheehan won the Mercedes-Benz Try of the Year for his score in an Ireland shirt against England; Railway Union's Anna McGann got the Women's XV Try of the Year award. Men's Award winner Beirne was unable to collect his award on the night but speaking from South Africa said: 'I'm honoured to be named as the OCC Consulting Men's Players' Player of the Year. It comes as quite a surprise given that Caelan, Tom and Jamison have all had brilliant seasons. "To be chosen by my fellow Rugby Players Ireland members makes this award even more meaningful, and I really appreciate their support and acknowledgement.'Dalton was named the OCC Consulting Women's XVs Players' Player of the Year following a hugely impactful campaign in the Irish midfield across 2024/25. At just 22, Dalton has already been established as a key figure in an Irish dressing room that is set to up the ante ahead of the Rugby World Cup in England later this year. Speaking as she claimed the Players' Player award, Dalton said: 'It's a very exciting time to be involved with this group of players. To be recognised by them at such a crucial time for this team is hard to put into words. "When I first came into camp, I could sense that something was beginning to build and I think we have started to see the fruits of that over recent months both collectively and individually, through the performances of my fellow nominees Amee-Leigh, Niamh and Dorothy.'There was a special presentation made to Eimear Considine who made a try-scoring return to international action following two ACL injuries and the birth of her son Caolán and who announced her retirement during the season. To mark both her Irish sporting legacy and longstanding contribution to mental wellbeing discourse in Ireland, Considine was presented with the Zurich Contribution to Irish Society Award as Tackle Your Feelings kicked off its ten-year anniversary Players Ireland Executive Board Member, Iain Henderson said: 'While this season has brought its share of challenges both on and off the field, it's also been a year marked by plenty of individual standout achievements across the game. It's important that we celebrate them and use this as an opportunity to look ahead with real optimism. There's still work to do, but through the support of Rugby Players Ireland, the steps being taken show a collective commitment to moving the game forward.' Simon Keogh, CEO of Rugby Players Ireland added: 'A Rugby Players Ireland Award represents the highest individual accolade a player can receive in our game. To be named by your peers in this way is the ultimate mark of respect. My congratulations to all of our winners tonight. At Rugby Players Ireland, we work to ensure players' voices and efforts are recognised and supported. These awards celebrate not only talent but the influence and standards set behind the scenes that help to drive our game forward.' OCC CONSULTING MEN'S XVs PLAYERS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Tadhg BeirneNominees: Caelan Doris, Tom Farrell, Jamison Gibson-Park OCC CONSULTING WOMEN'S XVs PLAYERS' PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Aoife DaltonNominees: Amee-Leigh Costigan, Niamh O'Dowd, Dorothy Wall NEVIN SPENCE MEN'S XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Sam PrendergastNominees: Gus McCarthy, Ben Murphy ENERGIA WOMEN's XVs YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Erin KingNominees: Ruth Campbell, Aoife Dalton MSL MERCEDES-BENZ BALLSBRIDGE MEN'S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2025Dan Sheehan (v England)Nominees: Stewart Moore (v Stormers), Dan Sheehan (v Ulster Rugby) AIB CORPORATE BANKING WOMEN'S XVs TRY OF THE YEAR 2025Anna McGann (v Italy)Nominees: Amee-Leigh Costigan (v England), Linda Djougang (v Wales) TRITONLAKE MEN'S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Dylan O'GradyNominees: Niall Comerford, Mark Roche TRITONLAKE WOMEN'S 7s PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025Lucinda KinghanNominees: Hannah Clarke, Kate Farrell-McCabe ZURICH CONTRIBUTION TO IRISH SOCIETY AWARD 2025Eimear Considine DRUIDS GLEN HOTEL & GOLF RESORT MOMENT ON THE YEAR 2025Ireland's Triple Crown Success accepted by Caelan Doris About Rugby Players IrelandRugby Players Ireland, as the representative body for Ireland's professional rugby players, consistently strives to make Ireland the best place in the world to play rugby. Rugby Players Ireland is working towards achieving this vision by ensuring that player welfare is always prioritized and that there are fair and equitable terms and conditions for players. The association also adopts a whole of life approach to player development and ensures that the profile enjoyed by Ireland's rugby players contributes to the future development not just of Irish rugby but Irish society as a whole.
