First-time captain Beirne expects high-tempo Japan duel

First-time captain Beirne expects high-tempo Japan duelImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beirne (centre) will lead Ireland out for the first time in Saturday's gamePublished1 minute agoTadhg Beirne says he is looking forward to a "special, special moment" when he captains Ireland for the first time in Saturday's Nations Championship game against Japan.The 34-year-old was appointed Munster skipper in 2024 and captained the British and Irish Lions in last year's win over the Waratahs in Sydney.Having previously taken over on-field captaincy duties for his country, he will lead Ireland out against Japan in Newcastle, New South Wales (11:10 BST), with tour skipper Dan Sheehan rested."[It's] a huge honour. Of course it is," said Beirne. "I've had the honour of being captain on field when our main guys haven't been there, Dan and Caelan [Doris]. "But to lead the guys out from the start, again I revert to that word 'special', because it is a special, special moment for me and my family."After recovering from a knee injury which sidelined him for the end of Munster's season, Beirne made a significant impact off the bench in last week's 33-31 win over Australia. His inclusion in the second row is one of nine changes made by head coach Andy Farrell for the Japan game. And while Beirne says he was buoyed by Ireland's resilience, as they recovered from 12 points down to edge out the Wallabies, he admits his side must improve defensively."There's a lot of positives, obviously," he said."The fight from everyone to stay in it and come from behind was really pleasing. But I think there's a lot of areas of the game where we probably weren't particularly happy with the way we did things."Our defence wasn't where it needed to be physically, and credit to the Aussies -- they played incredibly well."Japan's only victory over Ireland in 11 mee...