'I don't know how much longer I have.'– Tadhg Beirne reflects on busy schedule ahead of Wales clash.

Ireland and Munster's Tadhg Beirne spoke to the media during Thursday's successful open training session at the Aviva Stadium. During this press conference, the Munster captain reflected on the new guidelines brought in by World Rugby at the end of 2025.

At the end of 2025, World Rugby introduced a series of law changes to improve player welfare. The most notable of which is the decision to reduce the number of professional games per season to 30, with players permitted to play no more than six matches in a row.

"Yeah I'm great, I want to play, like obviously towards the end of the season, after the second week off you'll feel like a new man, but when your in it you just want to play ever week. I'm 34 now so I don't know how much longer I have so any opportunity I do get to go out and play, I want to be out there playing. Here's to another 33 or 35 games this season if they'll let me."

"Whenever you do get a week off and you're watching from home, you're kind of like, I wish I were out there now." Beirne explained to reporters at the Aviva Stadium.

Last season, between starting three tests in the British and Irish Lions series, the Guinness Six Nations, and his campaign for Munster, Tadhg Beirne featured in 33 games. The Irish lock played in all but nine minutes of the 2025 Six Nations campaign, falling to the bench for the first time against Italy.

"Look, there are lots of lads getting opportunities, and that's the way it's going to happen in here sometimes. Sometimes your job is going to be from the bench, and sometimes it's not even being in the 23. You've got to put the best foot forward and that was my focus against Italy."

After coming off the bench against Italy, a week later, during the game against England at Twickenham, Beirne completed 17 tackles, second only to Caelen Doris. Additionally, the Munster captain came up with some crucial turnovers that significantly shifted the game's momentum. The most notable being a choke tackle that went viral.

"Yeah, look, they're huge moments. It's like scoring little mini tries, isn't it? I know the feeling is, especially when you and Caelan or Josh or one of the boys came up with a turnover, the buzz you get from it. Your working unbelivably hard for eachother, and then getting a turnover like that, it's great."

"There are some games, particularly when you're playing six, where the ball may not come your way at all, you're in defense or you're in attack. And then there's others where it just comes your way and it was just one of those games."

In Week 3's fixtures of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations, Ireland's opponents next week, Wales, put on their best performance of the tournament. Wales led at half-time for the first time with Steve Tandy as head coach, falling to a late defeat against Scotland.

Following the spirited performance, two of Wales's starters from the game may miss out against Ireland. Scarlets' Taine Plumtree, who has been ruled out, and Sam Costelow, who both featured against Scotland, underwent scans during the week. Despite that, the former Scarlets player expects Wales to pose a threat.

"Yeah, for sure. Wales, much like us, we're improving game on game, and they've been improving game on game, I believe. You know, I think a lot of the scorelines against the teams they've played against have probably not painted them in the best picture in terms of how well they played in parts of those games."

"They're just chasing down a better 80-minute performance, and you know they were very close to getting the win against Scotland, obviously, and I think that performance is going to give them a lot of confidence coming in against us."

"But as I said, the focus for us will be a little bit of focus on Wales. Our focus is on us getting better each game, and we'll be ready for their improved performances as well."

Beirne, who started his career at Leinster, ultimately made the bold decision to move to Wales in order to join the Scarlets in order to grasp the playing time he wasn't seeing in Dublin. Beirne had a successful two-year stint with the Scarlets, where he was named the league’s Players’ Player of the Season in 2018.

"It's been so long since I've been there. I look at Scarletts now, and there are probably two or three players that are still there that were there when I was there.I haven't really spoken to any of them about it. It's a tough time. I do remember when I was there, there were whispers of the same thing happening when I was there."

"It's going to create a lot of pressure for those guys. When you're in these camps and stuff, you can use it. Also, you try to put it to the back of your mind, because you have an opportunity to put on the jersey and represent your country. I think that's what those guys will be doing. They'll be just focusing on the rugby and trying to put their best performances out there."

Nearing the end of 2025, the Welsh Rugby Union announced that it would cut one of the four Welsh regional teams by 2027. Following the announcement, many have predicted that the Ospreys and the Scarlets will be battling to make the cut.

With Welsh Rugby in its current state off the field, Irish Rugby has also undergone significant changes on the field over the last 18 months. During his press conference on Thursday, Tadhg Beirne praised the environment that Andy Farrell created following the retirement of key players like Peter O'Mahony.

"A good few of the younger lads are for sure stepping up. And I think the environment that Faz has created is one in which everyone speaks up in meetings and that kind of stuff. So, you know, within this group, there's plenty of leaders."

"Like, it'd be hard to pick out anyone. But I think the main thing is that any of the younger lads coming in, they feel comfortable enough to speak their mind and give their opinions because everyone's opinion is valued in this group."

3. The Munster captain was named as British and Irish Lions player of the series following the team's 2-1 test series victory over Australia.