Beirne ready to embrace 'Real Lions Experience' in 2025

Ireland and Munster lock Tadhg Beirne is relishing what he calls the “real Lions experience” ahead of the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s warm-up clash against Argentina in Dublin, Beirne reflected on his Lions debut during the pandemic-hit 2021 tour, which he described as a world away from what’s to come in Australia.

“It’s four years since Beirne got his first taste of the Lions… that was a ghost of a tour played out in an empty stadium… and it sucked the colour out of sport and life as we knew it.”

With stadiums expected to be packed and travelling supporters bringing a tidal wave of red, Beirne is excited for a complete and emotional rugby experience—something he never fully had in South Africa.

“Experiencing that wave of red… it’s going to be a much different experience and I’m really, really excited about it.”

Beirne acknowledged his own growth since the last tour, highlighting how he has evolved into a more refined and tactically mature player.

“I’ve probably become more settled in the second row over the last couple of months, particularly with Munster… I like to think… my game has improved a bit over the last four years… being a smarter rugby player.”

For Beirne, one of the biggest challenges is cohesion—and fast. With players from four nations coming together for a short prep window, adaptability becomes essential.

“We're talking about world-class players here… the expectation… is that you can adapt to any system you’re given… If you want to be a Lion, you’re going to have to adapt, or you’ll get left behind.”

He stressed that gelling on and off the pitch is as important as tactics. Light-heartedly, he even revealed he's offered Lions assistant coach Johnny Sexton a place to stay during late games:

“I offered him a bed to sleep in for any of the late games… Looking forward to having him in the stands next year.”