Tadhg Beirne and Garry Ringrose have signed central contract extensions that will take two of Ireland’s most influential performers through the 2027 World Cup in Australia and beyond in the case of the Leinster centre.
Beirne, the Munster captain, who gave the latest in a series of outstanding performances in the victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday and is a central tenet in the Irish team whether at secondrow or blindside flanker has agreed a two-year deal that will take him up to and through the global tournament.
The 33-year-old made his Irish Test debut in green against Australia in 2018 and has since gone on to win 58 caps. He played every minute of the Autumn Nations Series campaign and started the wins over England and Scotland in the Six Nations.
Ireland’s Scottish win has all roads leading to France
Beirne has made 85 appearances for Munster since joining the province at the start of the 2018/19 season and this season was made club captain. He said: “It is a source of great pride to represent Ireland and Munster, and I am delighted to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
“Playing in Ireland is a dream come true, and I believe that Irish rugby is in a strong place with competitive environments across all of the provinces.
IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys said: “Tadhg is a world-class talent whose consistent levels of performance for club and country have been of the highest standards for many years.
“Since breaking into the scene with Clongowes Wood College, Lansdowne and then into the Leinster Academy, he has taken the road less travelled and displayed enormous durability and consistency of performances in achieving league successes with the Scarlets and more recently Munster.
“For Ireland he has been a mainstay in the pack across a hugely successful era and it is a great boost that he has extended his long association in Irish Rugby through until the Rugby World Cup 2027.”
Ringrose has put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal that will take him up until the end of the 2027-2028 season. The 30-year-old has won 65 Test caps since his debut in November 2016.
A two-time Grand Slam winner with Ireland in 2018 and 2023, Ringrose has made 133 appearances for Leinster, scoring 41 tries and enjoyed European Champions Cup (2018) and Pro 14 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) success at provincial level.
Ringrose said: “I am delighted to extend my stay in Ireland with Leinster and I’m hugely excited about the future of Irish Rugby. Since making my debut I have relished the opportunity to play for my home club and it was an easy decision to commit for the next three years.
Humphreys said: “Garry is a world-class talent, and I am delighted that he has decided to extend his career with the IRFU and Leinster. Since first breaking on to the scene 10 years ago he has become one of the most consistent centres in world rugby and has played a key role in the success of Leinster and Ireland.
“A committed, talented and hugely respected leader within both dressing-rooms, we believe that Garry’s best years are ahead of him and today’s announcement is a further boost for the game in Ireland.”
