Tadhg Beirne is set to captain Ireland at the Aviva Stadium for the first time this Saturday as the team hosts Fiji.
The versatile forward is stepping into the leadership role while regular captains Caelan Doris and Dan Sheehan remain sidelined due to injury.
“It’s particularly special doing it at the Aviva, at home,” Beirne said regarding the upcoming fixture.
He noted that having his wife, daughter, and parents in attendance will make the experience especially significant for him.
Beirne recently played the full 80 minutes during “Ireland’s commanding 42-12 win over Argentina” in Dublin last week.
Despite the victory, the captain admitted that the squad felt they could have performed better over the duration of the match.
“There were patches of us playing really well there, but there were also patches where we weren’t to the standard” that the team sets for itself, Beirne explained.
The team is currently focused on refining its performance before facing world champions South Africa next week.
Ireland enters the match with seven personnel changes and two positional switches from the previous lineup.
The squad “leads a side featuring seven personnel changes” as they look to maintain their unbeaten record against the Fijians.
Fiji, now under the guidance of former South Africa coach Jake White, is looking to rebound following a difficult 54-17 loss to France.
Ireland currently holds third place in the “Nations Championship northern hemisphere table” and remains undefeated in previous tests against Fiji.
Beirne emphasized that the primary goal for the weekend is for the team to execute its own game plan effectively.
He remains committed to building upon the foundation established during the opening autumn victory.