ONE NAME IMMEDIATELY jumped off the screen when the Ireland team to play England was announced yesterday: Number eight – Cian Prendergast.
In a near full-strength starting XV, Prendergast is by far the least inexperienced member of the team. The Connacht player has just two Test caps to his name – 45 minutes off the bench against Italy two weeks ago and a 31 minute cameo against Fiji in November.
This first Test start represents a huge opportunity for a player who didn’t always look destined for great things, but has worked hard to get himself to this stage.
The Kildare native came through the ranks at Newbridge College and stood out as a promising talent, catching the eye of Leinster Academy coaches.
In 2016 he was playing a year above his age on the same Leinster U18 schools team as Ryan Baird, and in 2017 he captained the side.
The next goal would have been to play for the Ireland U18s schools but instead Prendergast was picked for the clubs and schools team – a secondary selection designed to support the development of the next layer of emerging young talent.
Prendergast viewed this as a blow but his coaches at the time noted his determination to work his way back up the chain. His performances earned him a call-up to the schools side and Prendergast went on represent Ireland at U20s level, while also impressing on AIL duty with UCD – helping the club to a best-ever third-place finish in 2020.
That same year, he was informed by Leinster that there was no room for him on their books, a decision which devastated the ambitious young forward. Luckily, Connacht came calling just days later.
He decided to take a punt, pack his bags and join the Western province’s Academy, and after making 10 appearances in his first year at the Sportsground Prendergast put pen to paper on his first professional contract.
Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength and established himself as a leader in the Connacht squad. In 2022 – just two years on from being released by Leinster – Prendergast was named the Connacht Fans’ Player of the Year and the Rugby Players Ireland Men’s Young Player of the Year.
All the while, he was gaining new admirers. Andy Farrell brought Prendergast on Ireland’s tour to New Zealand last year, where he featured against the Maori All Blacks, before touring with Emerging Ireland in October and starting in the backrow against a New Zealand XV a month later.
Some of those experiences were tougher than others but Farrell continued to keep Prendergast around his squad, handing him a Test debut in the November win against Fiji.
The Ireland coaches saw a player full of potential, if a little raw.
Prendergast was handed a place in the matchday squad for the opening World Cup warm-up game against Italy and when Jack Conan was forced off with a foot injury in the first half, Prendergast grabbed the opportunity with both hands – the highlight being his slick offload to Calvin Nash in the build-up to Caelan Doris’ second try of the evening. Under pressure, Prendergast took the brave option and it paid off.
At 112kg and 6’4″ Prendergast – who usually plays at 6 for Connacht – has a big physical frame and got through a huge amount of work against the Italians.
Farrell has been encouraged by his improvement over the last year – highlighting the Connacht player’s fight, energy and decision-making with both ball-in-hand and in defence when asked about the 23-year-old yesterday. Perhaps more pertinently, he also noted Prendergast’s discipline as an area of concern, although this is something the player has worked hard on addressing.
Prendergast is far from the finished article but he suits the type of game Farrell wants to play, his versatility is a major advantage and he has clearly impressed with his work around camp behind the scenes.
Now he gets rewarded with his first Test start, coming the same week where five players were released from camp, including three – Gavin Coombes, Jamie Osborne and Kieran Treadwell – who were sent packing without playing a single minute of the warm-up games.
That might appear harsh from the outside, but as much as Farrell has looked to blood young players throughout his time in charge, he doesn’t hand out caps easily.
Prendergast has earned his place in the team this weekend, and now a spot in the final 33-man World Cup squad is within his reach.
His fate could well depend on whether Farrell opts to go for a 19/14 split of forwards and backs, or an 18/15. That part of the selection process is out of Prendergast’s hands, but a big performance against England could be the point where his World Cup ticket gets stamped. A golden opportunity awaits.
The 42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
