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Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast. Ben Brady/INPHO

Munster's Mike Prendergast set to be appointed Ireland A coach

The Limerick man also looks set join the senior Ireland squad in Portugal.

MUNSTER’S MIKE PRENDERGAST is set to be appointed as Ireland A coach for next month’s clash with England A in Bristol.

An Irish side made up of some of the senior squad and a group of exciting younger players will come together as Ireland A for the game at Ashton Gate on Sunday 23 February, the day after Ireland’s Six Nations clash with Wales in nearby Cardiff.

The 42 understands that Munster attack coach Prendergast will lead Ireland A for that game, their first fixture since facing the All Blacks XV in Dublin in November 2022.

It’s also thought that Prendergast will link up with the senior Ireland squad at their current training camp in Portugal following Munster’s URC clash with the Dragons in Wales tomorrow evening.

That would allow Prendergast to get in sync with how Ireland’s senior coaching staff operate and get hands-on experience with some of the things they will hope to see from the A team next month in Bristol. With Andy Farrell away on Lions duty, it would also offer Ireland another set of coaching eyes as they prepare to face England next weekend.

Prendergast has earned a reputation as an excellent attack coach while working in France with Grenoble, Oyonnax, Stade Français, and Racing, as well as with Munster since 2022. He redesigned the province’s attack after joining and played a key part in their URC glory in 2023.

The Limerick man has put his hand up to become the next Munster head coach following the departure of Graham Rowntree earlier this season but he has to wait as the province and the IRFU assess their options for the permanent role.

Nonetheless, Prendergast’s development looks set to continue as Ireland A boss, with the IRFU keen to help coaches make progress.

In 2017, Ronan O’Gara and Felix Jones linked up with Joe Schmidt’s Ireland on their tour of the US and Japan.

When Connacht’s Pete Wilkins was still an assistant with the western province, he travelled with Andy Farrell’s Ireland on their 2022 tour of New Zealand as they played two extra midweek games. Wilkins has since taken over as Connacht’s head coach.

It’s also common for coaches within the Irish system to visit national team camp to observe sessions, with Munster’s Denis Leamy and Connacht’s John Muldoon among those to have done so in recent times.

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