Heartbreak for Munster captain Tadhg Beirne after joy of big win over Leinster

Munster captain Tadhg Beirne during Satruday night's defeat of Leinster in Croke Park I PICTURE: Sportsfile

placeholder image — Munster captain Tadhg Beirne during Satruday night's defeat of Leinster in Croke Park I PICTURE: Sportsfile

Tadhg and wife Harriet say a sad farewell to their beloved French Bulldog

HOURS after Munster's Tadhg Beirne’s typical towering display against Leinster in Croke Park, wife Harriet shared the sad news that their beloved French Bulldog had died.

Harriet, who has almost 50,000 followers on Instagram, paid a touching tribute to their beloved pet Otis on social media this Sunday.

“Otis, beyond heartbroken and devastated. Sweet dreams our special little boy, we love you so much and will miss you forever,” wrote Harriet, alongside a photo of Otis (pictured below).

The post has received over 6,000 “likes” in the space of an hour with over 100 comments from people expressing their sadness. Jodie Matthews (Lawson-Wood) and Limerick’s Louise Cooney are two well-known faces in the world of fashion to express their regret, saying they were "so sorry".

Many had got to know Otis through Instagram as Harriet has shared photos of the French Bulldog, including in a too cute Christmas jumper.

Otis was a big part of the Beirne family in their Limerick home.

The couple, who are expecting their first child, wed in Kilkea Castle in County Kildare in 2022.

The weekend should have been a joyful one for the Beirnes as Munster had a massive 31-14 bonus point win over Leinster. The team captained by Tadhg defeated their biggest rivals for the first time in five attempts, and for the first time in a regular season game since 2018.

On his seasonal debut after his heroics for the British and Irish Lions in Australia, Tadhg was many supporters' man of the match. The forward came up with two trademark turnovers in two minutes close to his own line when Munster were under the cosh.