Archive November 2, 2025

Tadhg Beirne’s second-row dismissal in the third minute of Saturday’s 26-13 Chicago defeat leaves New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett with a “gutted” feeling.

After colliding with Barrett, Beirne received a yellow card that was upgraded to a 20-minute red card after being reviewed by the authorities.

After receiving a pass from Cam Roigard, Barrett slammed into Beirne’s shoulder, which was upright in the tackle.

Barrett added that he would assist Beirne in the disciplinary hearing following foul play in rugby after stating that the British and Irish Lion had no intention of doing so.

After the game, Tadhg and I spoke, Barrett said, and I was devastated for him.

Barrett claimed Beirne had “no other option” but to accept the All Black’s fly-half’s contact, and that it was “unfortunate.”

He didn’t place a shoulder on me on purpose. I can’t hide the fact that I copped a shoulder somewhere up there, Barrett continued, adding that I will stand with him and prevent what comes next.

There is no intention in my opinion; it’s just unfortunate.

Barrett thought borderline cases might benefit from World Rugby’s introduction of the 20-minute red card, which allows the offending team to replace the player who was dismissed for the remainder of the game.

Ireland would have had to play the final 77 minutes of play with 14 players in the past.

“For sure,” he said. The 34-year-old added when asked if including the limited red card by World Rugby was a positive move in this situation.

“I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really say that 20 minutes is the worst in this situation, even though he may have only merited a yellow.”

You have to be careful what you say, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said, but he did not understand how the match officials upgraded the yellow card.

Match officials at Solider Field, the home of the Chicago Bears, delayed getting the pictures on a large screen, and a small monitor by the side of the field served as a buffer for the incident.

Official Foul Play Review Dan Jones advised Brousset to receive a 20-minute red card instead.

After the 20 minutes had passed, Ireland had a 10-7 lead at half-time lead before New Zealand had to win the game.

Any additional action that Beirne may take could prevent him from missing Ireland’s final autumn games against Japan, Australia, and world champion South Africa. He will now face a disciplinary hearing.

You’ve got to be careful what you say in that regard, Farrell said, because I’m all for the safest way possible for this game to advance.

“But to me, I don’t know how it got transferred to that,” I say in real time.

“I’m not aware of that because they obviously have their reasons.”

Farrell also felt that a slow-motion replay of the replay should have been used instead.

“You can look at it from all angles, really, but the only way to look at it is in real-time,” he said.

Beauden Barrett was one of three brothers to join the All Blacks in launching the game, along with Scott and Jordie.

However, Scott was forced to leave after three minutes in a separate Beirne red and “lacerated on his leg”.

Jordie, who played for Irish province Leinster in the second half of last year, also suffered a leg injury.

After the game, Beauden claimed that Jordie’s injury “didn’t look great” and that he was pictured with ice on his left kee.

Before kicking off their tour in Murrayfield, New Zealand take on England and Wales.

“My bros are obviously a little beaten up,” Beauden Barrett said.

I was very pleased and proud of how we responded. After seeing my two bros explode, I could have let that irritate me.

“I was impressed with how we kept our focus on what we wanted to accomplish and how we came out with the right outcome.”

Barrett responded that numerous Irish fans had inquired about him before the game at a sponsor’s event in Chicago before the game when asked if he would ever like to follow in the footsteps of his younger brother Jordie by playing for the Blues in Ireland while they were still playing there.

“Everyone reportedly asked me that question because about 90% of them were Irish fans who came along. Most Leinster fans, but occasionally Munster fans, Barrett chuckled and jovial.

Because I grew up in Ireland and have spent time there, “it’s very tempting.”

Liverpool fans haven’t had much to chant about at Anfield in a while, but manager Arne Slot believed the supporters had a significant impact on helping them rediscover their form.

With the six defeats in seven games coming from the Dutchman, the reigning champions won 2-0 at home against Aston Villa thanks to goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah.

With the victory, Anfield’s fans were relieved that their team had broken their four-game losing streak in the Premier League, lifting them to third place.

The real indicator of where Slot’s side will stand will be on Tuesday when Real Madrid travel to Anfield in the Champions League, and then again next Sunday when the Reds travel to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. “Champions, champions,” the fans chanted.

The Kop were chanting and singing praise to the 47-year-old, who had won the club’s first Premier League title in his first season, even when the game was goalless.

It has a lot of meaning, Slot said. “It happened at 0-0,” the club, the team, and I say, not when you are leading or when you are at the top of the table.

The players’ and I’re supported by what makes this club unique, according to the saying. When things are challenging, they remember that you were a part of something special and they support you.

Both Slot and Virgil van Dijk wrote in the matchday program that their respective teams’ performances and outcomes were insufficient.

Arsenal are seven points clear of Liverpool, who have not conceded a goal since the end of September, so they are already having a difficult time keeping up their title.

However, there is no denying that this result, which gave rise to one of the club’s most important roles in the final stretch of the season, has significantly improved the atmosphere at Anfield.

Salah will not have scored any goals for the Reds before scoring the one just before half-time when Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez slotted the ball into the unguarded net.

If you score 250 goals for one club, Slot remarked, “It’s almost unbelievable.” It will be unbelievable even if you score 250 goals overall.

He performed very well, they said. He not only performed his offensive duties, but he also very well assisted the team defensively. It was a special moment for him to score 250 goals for Liverpool, and I enjoyed his performance tonight.

Salah spent eight years at Anfield after earning a £34 million move from Roma in 2017, winning the Premier League twice, the Champions League once, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Uefa Super Cup, and the Fifa Club World Cup.

Slot will be enthralled by Salah’s consistently cutting in from the right flank to attack the Villa defense, despite the four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner’s only four goals this season.

At left-back, Lucas Digne struggled, and Salah needs to be in somewhere near his best form if Liverpool are to have any hope of success this year.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Salah acknowledged that he had struggled to maintain his position and that it was crucial for him to win the match. We’ve lost the Premier League and Champions League several times. I’m pleased that we are now back on track and that it’s a big step in the direction of some crucial games.

We have a few new players, some of whom are excellent players, but they need some time to adjust because it’s a very difficult season for them. Some players also went missing. Although it takes time to get to know each other’s games, everything will work out.

Van Dijk, who was instrumental in Liverpool’s defense as they kept their first clean sheet since their 1-0 victory over Burnley on September 14, says the players must ignore outside criticism.

He told TNT Sports, “We have to deal with that as a team because there is a lot of noise that you have no control over,” as he noted.

You handle it, though, because some of the takes are absurd. Some players may experience outside noise, but we remain composed.

Everyone has their own opinions on a lot of different platforms, and they are aware of this. We must concentrate on the hard work we are doing instead of doing that.

“We did some negative things last season, but everything was full of rainbows and sunshine.” It seems like we’re currently engaged in a relegation fight, as it currently is.

Premier League record holder Alan Shearer felt that the Liverpool display was a step in the right direction, but more work was still required.

He continued, “It wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot better.” They simply needed to win. They deserved to win, without a doubt. They must regain their faith and confidence, which will make a huge difference.

With this Liverpool team, things went back to what we’ve been used to. This will, hoped to be, the start of their resurrected form.

The jubilant Liverpool supporters chanted one song toward the end of the match, “don’t worry, about a thing, because every little thing is going to be alright.”