RAZOR TADHG
TADHG BEIRNE won’t get in a tizzy over his first Ireland start not after being put a spin on the Chicago Bulls’ court.
As part of a squad delegation at their NBA game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, Beirne nominated himself to take a half-court shot during a time out.
But excitement turned to embarrassment as the bemused Kildare man was spun around while wearing a helmet and made to dribble the basketball the length of the court before shooting a hoop.
The new Munster star explained: “Five minutes beforehand they were explaining the rules and I was thinking, ‘What’s going on here?’.
“I’d nominated myself and then came out with a helmet as well and I’m going, ‘The lads are going to love this’.
“It was a bit of an embarrassment and the lads got a good kick out of it. I was also told we’d have courtside tickets which we didn’t!
“But it was class. Really cool. I ended up getting to go on the Chicago Bulls court and have a shot so I can’t complain.
“I got to see them courtside warm-up and all that so it was a pretty cool experience. Luckily for us it was a really tight game and went into overtime.
“It’s just some spectacle, the whole thing, the entertainment between time outs and everything, it’s a different experience.”
But Beirne now gets his chance to put on a real show after Joe Schmidt gave him the nod to start in the second row against Italy at Soldier Field.
Released by Leinster after a series of injury setbacks, the 25-year-old forged a brilliant reputation at the Scarlets as a turnover specialist.
The versatile forward moved to Munster (left) at the end of last season to further his Ireland ambitions and was instantly rewarded with two appearances off the bench on the victorious summer tour in Australia.
He wasn’t happy with his early Munster form as he commuted to Limerick from the family home in Eadestown but Beirne pinpoints the Reds’ recent Champions Cup games as a timely return to form.
“For me, they were definitely big games,” he said. “It was just taking more time. I was probably getting frustrated about not contributing what I usually would have.
“My performances