THEIR FIRST START together for Ireland in Paris back in February didn’t go according to plan, so Saturday night in Sydney was a special one for the Prendergast brothers.
With Sam returning to the number 10 shirt after his strong finish to the season for Leinster, Cian was back in the number six jersey having had a brilliant second half of the campaign as Connacht captain.
Getting back into Andy Farrell’s starting XV was a big deal for both, and their delight was evident after Ireland’s hard-fought 33-31 win at Allianz Stadium.
Making it all the more memorable was the fact that their parents, Ciara and Mark, made it all the way from Kildare to Sydney to watch their lads doing themselves proud.
“They were here, it’s class,” said 26-year-old Cian after Ireland’s win.
“Both my parents, they arrived in on Thursday evening, I think it was. We were chatting to them after. It was cool.”
Cian was proud of his younger brother, 23-year-old Sam.
Sam was Ireland’s starting out-half for the first two games of the Six Nations, including that night in Paris, but dropped out for the closing three rounds and then missed out on Leinster’s match day 23 for most of the Champions Cup knock-out stages.
That must have made his win-clinching conversion against the Wallabies on Saturday even more enjoyable. The place-kick from the left-hand 15-metre line was no gimme, but he nailed it.
“It was brilliant and obviously I’m delighted for Sam to slot the kick,” said Cian.
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“I thought he was brilliant and managed the game excellently in the second half in the right areas of the field. He kicked really well, and yeah, some set of stones on him to slot the kick at the end.
Sam and Cian Prendergast with their parents. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“Obviously, he had a bit of a tough Six Nations and a tough kind of until the end of the URC season, so I’m really stoked for him with the way the season has turned around.
“He was excellent against the Bulls [in the URC final], and he was excellent in that run-in for Leinster. For him to kick that kick at the end, it just shows the character he is.”
Cian was also heavily involved for Ireland, with his 17 tackles leaving him behind only Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan, who both played the full 80 minutes whereas Prendergast was replaced in the 52nd.
Prendergast also had a team-leading five lineout takes for Ireland, as well as doing some good work around the ruck.
All in all, it was a happy return to the Ireland team for the Prendergast brothers.
“I suppose every time you play for Ireland, there’s an element of pressure,” said Cian.
“We don’t want to make it about ourselves when we both get picked together. It’s about producing a performance for Ireland, and yeah, I’m just delighted we got the result.
“Obviously the game in Paris the last time we started together didn’t go the way we wanted to, so it was brilliant to get the result there.”
Cian has been in flying form this season with his province, so he relished the chance to get back into the green jersey with Ireland.
He has been playing better than ever for Connacht, as well as captaining well.
“Obviously since January, the Connacht season turned around, and we went on a run,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the end result we wanted, but it’s brilliant to be part of this tour, such an exciting tour, and to get the result today and be part of a famous win like that is brilliant.”
Sam and Cian Prendergast celebrate after the match in Sydney. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Of course, Ireland’s win was far from straighforward. It was a rip-roaring contest between Farrell’s men and the Wallabies, with the teams exchanging blows at a frenetic pace.
There will be lots for Ireland to improve upon as they look towards further Nations Championship clashes with Japan and New Zealand in the next two weekends.
The Irish lineout had some hiccups against the combative Australians, but also some key plays in that area. The tit-fot-tat nature of the lineout summed up the overall game.
“They’re a brilliant pack of forwards,” said Prendergast. “So the challenge was there and it’s a testament to the group to figure things out on the fly.
“We had a couple of big lineout wins. James Ryan produced a big steal before we took the try to get the lead and those kind of moments swing the game for us.
“It was a weird old game. In fairness, they were good in the first half. They were physical. It didn’t feel like ourselves out there in the first half at times, but in fairness, the bench made a huge impact, and the grit of the group.
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'I'm delighted for Sam. Some set of stones on him to slot the kick'
THEIR FIRST START together for Ireland in Paris back in February didn’t go according to plan, so Saturday night in Sydney was a special one for the Prendergast brothers.
With Sam returning to the number 10 shirt after his strong finish to the season for Leinster, Cian was back in the number six jersey having had a brilliant second half of the campaign as Connacht captain.
Getting back into Andy Farrell’s starting XV was a big deal for both, and their delight was evident after Ireland’s hard-fought 33-31 win at Allianz Stadium.
Making it all the more memorable was the fact that their parents, Ciara and Mark, made it all the way from Kildare to Sydney to watch their lads doing themselves proud.
“They were here, it’s class,” said 26-year-old Cian after Ireland’s win.
“Both my parents, they arrived in on Thursday evening, I think it was. We were chatting to them after. It was cool.”
Cian was proud of his younger brother, 23-year-old Sam.
Sam was Ireland’s starting out-half for the first two games of the Six Nations, including that night in Paris, but dropped out for the closing three rounds and then missed out on Leinster’s match day 23 for most of the Champions Cup knock-out stages.
That must have made his win-clinching conversion against the Wallabies on Saturday even more enjoyable. The place-kick from the left-hand 15-metre line was no gimme, but he nailed it.
“It was brilliant and obviously I’m delighted for Sam to slot the kick,” said Cian.
“I thought he was brilliant and managed the game excellently in the second half in the right areas of the field. He kicked really well, and yeah, some set of stones on him to slot the kick at the end.
“Obviously, he had a bit of a tough Six Nations and a tough kind of until the end of the URC season, so I’m really stoked for him with the way the season has turned around.
“He was excellent against the Bulls [in the URC final], and he was excellent in that run-in for Leinster. For him to kick that kick at the end, it just shows the character he is.”
Cian was also heavily involved for Ireland, with his 17 tackles leaving him behind only Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan, who both played the full 80 minutes whereas Prendergast was replaced in the 52nd.
Prendergast also had a team-leading five lineout takes for Ireland, as well as doing some good work around the ruck.
All in all, it was a happy return to the Ireland team for the Prendergast brothers.
“I suppose every time you play for Ireland, there’s an element of pressure,” said Cian.
“We don’t want to make it about ourselves when we both get picked together. It’s about producing a performance for Ireland, and yeah, I’m just delighted we got the result.
“Obviously the game in Paris the last time we started together didn’t go the way we wanted to, so it was brilliant to get the result there.”
Cian has been in flying form this season with his province, so he relished the chance to get back into the green jersey with Ireland.
He has been playing better than ever for Connacht, as well as captaining well.
“Obviously since January, the Connacht season turned around, and we went on a run,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the end result we wanted, but it’s brilliant to be part of this tour, such an exciting tour, and to get the result today and be part of a famous win like that is brilliant.”
Of course, Ireland’s win was far from straighforward. It was a rip-roaring contest between Farrell’s men and the Wallabies, with the teams exchanging blows at a frenetic pace.
There will be lots for Ireland to improve upon as they look towards further Nations Championship clashes with Japan and New Zealand in the next two weekends.
The Irish lineout had some hiccups against the combative Australians, but also some key plays in that area. The tit-fot-tat nature of the lineout summed up the overall game.
“They’re a brilliant pack of forwards,” said Prendergast. “So the challenge was there and it’s a testament to the group to figure things out on the fly.
“We had a couple of big lineout wins. James Ryan produced a big steal before we took the try to get the lead and those kind of moments swing the game for us.
“It was a weird old game. In fairness, they were good in the first half. They were physical. It didn’t feel like ourselves out there in the first half at times, but in fairness, the bench made a huge impact, and the grit of the group.
“We dug out a win, so delighted with that.”
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Austtralia brothers Cian Prendergast Family Ireland Sam Prendergast Sydney