MUNSTER 22-46 SCARLETS
Is there any chance they can use the ‘Johnny Sexton Rule’ to call this lad up on Ireland’s summer tour.
Scarlets are your Guinness PRO12 champions for 2016/17. Be honest, who called it?!
Wayne Pivac’s men followed up last Friday’s semi final throttling of Leinster by absolutely shredding Munster at the Aviva Stadium, this evening.
Scarlets lost three straight games at the start of the regular league season and it looked to be another rough time ahead. They re-focused and gave several young players their head and were richly rewarded.
Tonight in Dublin, they will drink deep from the triumph trough and it is richly deserved.
The stand-out Irish player was not on the Munster side. It was Eadestown, Kildare native Tadhg Beirne – a young lock that has rediscovered himself in West Wales.
Beirne had the game of his life against a shell-shocked Munster side and his try [his side’s fourth on the night] was the dagger before half-time that told us the end was nigh.
🔥 Sublime from @scarlets_rugby!
🏉 Tadhg Beirne scores number four in @PRO12rugby final!
📱 https://t.co/CVV6uHVkbL pic.twitter.com/ncAZNSlSmC
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) May 27, 2017
Beirne’s match stats were decent – three carries for seven metres gained, five successful tackles and two turnovers won.
Aaron Shingler picked up the official man-of-the-match award but Beirne was not far behind. Neither was Rhys Patchell or Liam Williams… or just about ever Scarlets player that fronted up massively.
Injuries and iffy form saw Beirne depart Leinster with unfinished business but Scarlets placed their faith in him. Once he got a clear run of games, he was flying.
The 24-year-old was not considereed for Ireland’s summer tour to America and Japan. Instead, Joe Schmidt selected James Ryan, Quinn Roux, Devin Toner and Kieran Treadwell.
Scarlets won’t let Beirne go without a fight but one hopes an Irish province, perhaps helped by a call from Schmidt, will be able to tempt him back in 2018.
