All or nothing.

The worst kept secret in rugby was finally let out this week, with the news that Tadhg Beirne will be joining Munster from Scarlets at the end of the current season.

The former Leinster lock has been hugely impressive for the Welsh region since signing for them at the beginning of last season, starring in his first campaign as he tasted PRO12 glory at the Aviva.

When you consider what he’s been through over the last couple of seasons, you really have to admire his ambition and determination to play for his country. Beirne was on SportsJoe’s The Hard Yards rugby podcast this week and explained how he nearly had no club to go to after leaving Leinster and being rejected by the other provinces.

“[The Scarlets move] was down to a little bit of luck, to be honest. I didn’t have an agent in my last year with Leinster. I had signed for six months and then signed another six months at Christmas. I was half expecting, slash, hoping I’d be kept on there.

“I met my [new] agent after one of the games, Abe Kerr. I was standing outside the changing room, waiting for one of the boys, when he came up and spoke with me. He messaged me on Facebook a couple of weeks later and it was around the same time that Leo told me that I’d need to start looking elsewhere. He flew over, met me in Dublin, and we managed to sort something out, last minute, after I got some footage together.”

After experiencing such uncertainty, you’d imagine Beirne’s main priority going forward would be to secure his future. Turns out he’s after taking a massive gamble once again, by refusing a much better contract offer to sign with Munster.

I want to go home and find out if I’m good enough to play for my country. I think, ultimately, that’s what every player wants to achieve in their career… When Munster approached at the end of the summer, I had quite a big decision to make.

“I obviously spoke to Scarlets. They put a serious offer in front of me. They completely outbid Munster. It was a big decision for me but, ultimately, international ambitions are what I want to chase.”

A huge risk from Beirne, but for all the right reasons. We’ve seen over the years that a move home doesn’t always necessarily guarantee success. Just look at the likes of James Downey and Robin Copeland as examples over the years.