Beirne: It's really card to swallow

TADHG RUES IRISH LACK OF DISCIPLINE DURING 'CHAOTIC' ENCOUNTER

- BY DEREK FOLEY

TADHG BEIRNE chose the one word many others did to describe Ireland's defeat to South Africa - chaotic.

It was first put into circulation by Andy Farrell who was straight-batting a question which referred to the game as “shambolic’.

The Man of Steel (right) normally defers to the polite side of civil but a sharp reply indicated he would not use “that word” and instead felt the game was indeed “chaotic”.

Beirne, by far and away one of the best interpreters of what happens in games, reached for a similar theory.

But he also spoke of the elephant lurking at the back of the room - ill discipline.

He felt the first three cards for James Ryan, Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley could have been avoided.

The Munster skipper said: "It was a bit of a chaotic game, a game of scrums, tough. Credit to South Africa, they stuck to their strengths. They had the upper hand in the scrums and took advantage of that.

"Our discipline kind of let us down, not just in the scrums but in other areas of the field as well.