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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Abrahams hails 'great leader' Beirne
Thaakir Abrahams praised Tadhg Beirne's leadership as Munster celebrated their captain's recognition as Men's XVs Players' Players of the Year 2025 at the Rugby Players Ireland Awards. Beirne is set to lead Munster into their URC quarter-final against the Sharks in South Africa on Saturday and sent a video message from the team's hotel in Durban which was played at the awards ceremony at Aviva Stadium on Wednesday night. Ireland team-mate Finlay Bealham collected the award on Beirne's behalf at the event after the lock, three weeks on from his selection for a second British & Irish Lions tour, topped a vote of his peers ahead of fellow Munster player Tom Farrell, and Leinster and Ireland stars Caelan Doris and Jamison Gibson-Park. The Munster players woke up to news of Beirne's award on Thursday morning and speaking later to the Irish Examiner from Durban, Abrahams said: 'He's such a great leader. 'He always speaks up in the huddles and things like that but I think he's also a leader that leads by example, which is really good for us. He will always step up and show us the way. 'When it was mentioned this morning, everyone was surrounding him, it was good. 'We can't celebrate too hard now before the game but definitely after the game we'll have a celebration for him. We celebrate moments like that, we're a tight group.' Doris did collect an award in his capacity as Ireland captain after his side's Triple Crown success in this season's Six Nations was recognised as Moment of the Year, while one of the warmest receptions went to Men's Sevens Players' Player of the Year Dylan O'Grady, with the Irish rugby community to still coming to terms with the IRFU's decision to end the men's sevens programme. Interviewed on stage by awards co-presenters and former players Barry Murphy and Andrew Trimble, O'Grady said of that decision: 'Obviously very disappointed at the news of the last few weeks but it's been a tough year for all of us. 'I couldn't be prouder of the lads. We've found ourselves in difficult positions this year but heart and fight we all showed throughout the year, we can all be really proud of. 'You look back to Cape Town, togging out with eight lads (after a virus within the squad). Anyone who's played sevens knows that playing with only one sub can be quite difficult so, yeah, couldn't be prouder of the lads and the fight we put up this whole year with our backs up against the wall.' Reflecting on his time in the Sevens programme, O'Grady said: 'It's been an unbelievable honour for me to be able to travel the world and get to represent our country on big stages and be ambassadors for rugby in areas that probably wouldn't see a whole lot of rugby, your Hong Kongs, Singapore and Vancouver. 'So to be able to do that and hopefully make the IRFU proud and everyone in Ireland proud is a huge honour for me.'
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
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
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Beirne: Europe is part of Munster's identity. Missing out would have been difficult
Tadhg Beirne switched from escape artist to trophy hunter as the Munster captain looked ahead to the URC play-offs with the pressure of qualifying for next season's Champions Cup happily put to bed. The Ireland lock has plenty to look forward to this summer as he looks forward to his second British & Irish Lions tour having been named in Andy Farrell's squad for the Australia tour but there were more pressing matters to attend first and securing a place in Europe's elite club competition for 2025-26 was the priority last Friday night in Cork as he led Munster to 30-21 victory over Benetton and up the final standings to sixth. That is good enough for a place in the Champions Cup pool draw and this season's URC knockout rounds, sealed with back-to-back bonus-point wins at home to Ulster and Benetton after starting elimination in the face following consecutive losses to Bordeaux-Begles (in the Champions Cup), the Bulls and Cardiff. Munster now face a quarter-final at the third-seeded Sharks in Durban but the captain believes his squad now has some momentum behind it ahead of three potential knockout rounds on the road, just as they had when winning the title in 2023. Beirne said: 'It's two big weeks in a row for us on the back of three poor weeks. We needed a little bit of confidence. 'They say winning is a habit and I think on the back of two wins it will give us a good boost into these last, hopefully, three games. 'We know the quality that is there. We've done it before and we've confidence in ourselves to do it again.' The implications of not securing a top-eight finish this season had not escaped Beirne, he admitted. 'It was mentioned. A couple of weeks ago it was mentioned and then it became a real reality over the last two weeks. Particularly in this club we proudly say we love Europe and we love being in Europe and it's a bit about Munster's identity being in Europe so not to get there that would have been really difficult. 'But we stuck in it. We knew how important today was not just for the league, but for Europe, for the leaving players and I think we'll look at the second-half performance, not the first half, in being proud of what we achieved today. 'I suppose that was in the back of everyone's heads that if we didn't qualify we didn't get Europe. But we're here now and we know we've qualified for Europe so we're chasing a trophy now and no matter how difficult it is we'll give it 100 per cent and make sure we give it a proper crack.'
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Kildare continue to cruise in Tailteann Cup with Tipperary demolition while Offaly leave Waterford victorious
DANIEL FLYNN'S goal brace and Alex Beirne's penalty kept KILDARE'S winning start to the Tailteann Cup going with a 3-19 to 1-11 victory in TIPPERARY. Flynn got a late call to replace Darragh Kirwan and he reeled off 2-4 from play and hit the crossbar too. Beirne scored 1-5 and assisted another 1-5 for the Group 1 table-toppers. Kildare got off TEN shots before Tipp registered their first attempt. They led 0-6 to no score and Flynn soon added his opening goal. Somehow, it was a one-score game by the break. Seán O'Connor intercepted a kickout and teed up Darragh Brennan to finish. Read More On GAA Cian Smith's second two-pointer left Tipp only 1-9 to 1-6 behind at half-time. Darragh Swords won the penalty for Beirne to steady the Lilywhites and they finished with a 1-6 burst with Flynn palming home late on. In Group 2, hosts WATERFORD pushed OFFALY all the way but the Faithful held on for a 1-18 to 1-13 win. Dylan Guiry poached a fifth-minute goal for the hosts. Most read in GAA Football But Offaly kicked five points in a row to lead 0-8 to 1-2 at half-time. When Cathal Flynn found the top corner in the 49th minute, the visitors looked home and hosed. Dublin GAA legends reunite in Germany after taking part in gruelling sporting phenomenon Jason Curry's two-pointer brought it back to a one-score game. But Shane Tierney rounded out his 0-5 tally to secure the win. In the same group, WICKLOW got a valuable 0-21 to 0-16 victory over Leinster rivals LAOIS at Aughrim. Three points in a row from Dean Healy had Oisín McConville's side flying early on. Playing with the wind, Laois reeled them in with two Damon Larkin doubles to lead 0-10 to 0-8 after 35. Garden keeper Mark Jackson landed a pair of two-point frees and a '45 to edge his side in front. 1 Daniel Flynn raised a green flag in Kildare's 3-19 to 1-11 win Opposition goalie Killian Roche also hit a free, but it was too little, too late. In Group 3, LIMERICK pulled off a successful Corrigan Park raid as ANTRIM fell to another defeat. The Treaty made it back-to-back wins, 1-18 to 1-10. The Treaty led 0-8 to 0-5 at half-time before Danny Neville and Iain Corbett's two-pointers pushed them further in front. It was game over when Emmet Rigter was hauled down for a penalty, which centre-back Corbett converted. Patrick McBride's late goal was a consolation.
RTÉ News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Daniel Flynn's ten-point hauls steers Kildare to victory
Two goals from Daniel Flynn and an Alex Beirne penalty maintained Kildare's winning start to the Tailteann Cup with a 14-point victory away to Tipperary. That duo accounted for 3-09 as the Lilywhites eased away from their hosts in the second half at Clonmel Sportsfield. Flynn wasn't named to start, but after his addition for the absent Darragh Kirwan, he reeled off 2-04 from play and hit the crossbar too. Beirne scored 1-05 and assisted another 1-05. Kildare manager Brian Flanagan made a whopping seven changes to the side that defeated Leitrim by 25 points last weekend. It didn't knock them off their stride. They looked ominous in the early stages. Inside the first minute, Flynn landed the opener and assisted Beirne's next after a botched kick-out. In fact, Kildare got off a remarkable 10 shots before Tipp registered their first attempt. Tommy Gill, Brendan Gibbons, and Ben McCormack all cashed in, but they sprayed an equal number of wides. A Beirne free made it six-nil before Tipp rallied. First, Cian Smith landed a two-point free. Then, Daithí Hogan burst through on goal but fired over rather than under the crossbar for his first point in senior football. That woke up Kildare. They came straight up the field as Flynn exchanged a one-two with McCormack before driving to the net. Darragh Swords and Jimmy Hyland's points made it 1-08 to 0-03. It would be a one-score game by the break. After a Smith curler, Seán O'Connor intercepted the kick-out and fended off three defenders to tee up Darragh Brennan for a thumping finish past Didier Cordonnier. Star forward O'Connor would depart at half-time. Flynn was left free for a goal chance in response. He lobbed Shane Ryan, but the ball struck the crossbar. The Johnstownbridge man handpassed over from their next attack, but Smith curled over a fine two-pointer to leave Tipp 1-09 to 1-06 in arrears at half-time. Jack O'Neill's superb solo score narrowed the gap further on the restart. But Swords won a penalty from Eoin O'Connell, and Beirne sent Shane Ryan the wrong way for 2-09 to 1-07. Steven O'Brien's two-point free, after a 50-metre advancement, made it a one-score game again. David Hyland's wide-open two-pointer settled Kildare, and they kicked on with Jimmy Hyland and Flynn points. After a Darragh Brennan free, Kildare stretched away for a 1-06 burst. Beirne added a two-point free after another 50-metre advancement. Then, a move involving a handful of substitutes ended with Beirne squaring for Flynn to palm in. Tipperary: S Ryan; J Feehan, L Boland (0-01), M McFadden; J O'Neill (0-01), M Stokes, K Costello; P Feehan, M Russell; M Freaney, C Smith (0-05, 1tp, 1tpf), S O'Brien (0-02, tpf); D Hogan (0-01), D Brennan (1-01, 0-01f), S O'Connor. Subs: E O'Connell for Russell (30), B Comerford for O'Connor (h-t), J Morris for P Feehan (55), E Power for Freaney (60), E Moloney for O'Brien (67). Kildare: D Cordonnier; M Dempsey, B Byrne, R Burke; T Gill (0-01), D Hyland (0-02, tp), M O'Grady; A Masterson, B Gibbons (0-01); R Sinkey, A Beirne (1-05, 1-00p, 1tpf, 2f), B McCormack (0-01); D Swords (0-01), D Flynn (2-04), J Hyland (0-03).
