Former Leinster player Bernard Jackman has endorsed Tadhg Beirne for the role of future Munster captain. After former captain Peter O'Mahony decided to hand over the armband last week, there is now a vacancy for the role. Names like Jack Crowley are in the hat to replace one of Ireland's best-ever skippers.
However, Jackman, without hesitation, named Beirne as the next Munster captain on Irish radio on Sunday morning. "Tadhg Beirne," he said on RTÉ Radio One's Sunday Sport, "He's a quiet guy, but the way he plays, the level of experience he has in the game, the way he’s gone to Munster and bought into it and been a really consistent performer."
Although Jackman can see why picking someone like Crowley could work, he still believes that Beirne's all-action style would be far more beneficial for the here and now for Graham Rowntree's side. "He’s always going to be in the team, first of all. I’ve heard people say give it to Jack Crowley, and I can see the value of that; you'd have someone there for the next seven, eight, nine years, and I think the halfbacks are doing a cracking job in their own right,"he added
"I’d give it to Beirne – and maybe I’m biassed here – but I always think a Munster captain should be a forward. Beirne is all action."
Dublin , Ireland - 27 March 2021; Tadhg Beirne of Munster celebrates winning a penalty during the Guinness PRO14 Final match between Leinster and Munster at the RDS Arena in Dublin. (Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)On Friday, Munster recorded a 40-29 victory against Glasgow Warriors at Musgrave Park. Tom Ahern, Edwin Edogbo, Diarmuid Barron, Alex Nankivell, and John Hodnett were the try-scorers.
Rowntree, after the game, admitted he was impressed by Munster's display but also claimed that Munster had to improve in the Champions Cup against French side Bayonne. "Beautiful, beautiful, we got our game going. We had momentum last week, even though the scoreline didn't reflect it, we had momentum in our attack and took it through to this week. It's what we asked and spoke about all week. It's tainted for me, with those maul tries,"he said on Friday night.
"They've got good plays off the maul, which holds eyes, holds defenders, and they stack backs behind the maul, so you have guys hanging off the maul looking at them rather than looking in here [at the maul].
"We've got to be better; we'll fix it. We've done it before; it's a technical issue, and we'll get it right."
That game kicks off at 5:30pm
