Swotting pays off as Tadhg Beirne says debut ‘something special’

Tadhg Beirne spent the first two weeks of this tour cramming for exams like a Leaving Cert student but his reward made the effort well worth the hard work and now Ireland’s newest international is hungry for more.

A Test debut off the bench in Melbourne last Saturday in a series-levelling victory against the Wallabies was every bit as magical as Beirne, 26, and his watching family had hoped.

“I’m pretty chuffed, to be honest, getting a win and getting my first cap,” he said. “It’s something special.”