IT HASN’T BEEN the November he would have wanted so far, but Sam Prendergast doesn’t have the look of a man feeling sorry for himself.
Two games in, the Leinster man has had to be content with a total of 42 minutes, all of which have come with the number 22 on his back. He’d rather have a firmer hold on the 10 shirt, but at the moment, the position is in a bit of flux. Prendergast was the main man during last year’s Six Nations but in this window Andy Farrell has preferred Jack Crowley, who was enjoying the stronger form coming into camp.
It will switch again, and may do many times over the coming years, but as it stands Prendergast is able to appreciate the bigger picture. He was disappointed with his showing off the bench against New Zealand but felt better about his contribution against Japan, which included a lovely disguised pass leading to Tommy O’Brien’s try.
That’s the type of action Farrell wants to see from the young out-half, who, it is worth remembering, is still only 11 games into his Test career. It’s also worth remembering that when Prendergast shot into the limelight last season, the Ireland head coach wasn’t around for much of it. Farrell gave Prendergast his shot this time last year but by the time the 2025 Six Nations kicked-off and the rookie tackled his first championship as an international out-half, the Ireland boss had stepped away to take on his Lions commitments.
A dip in form saw Prendergast miss out on the Lions, so while 18 of his Ireland teammates laced up in Australia, Prendergast’s summer focus was a low-key Ireland tour to Georgia and Portugal – a tour which most of the regular Ireland coaching staff missed.
So after a whirlwind year, this camp is Prendergast’s first with Farrell and the full Ireland coaching staff since his international break-through 12 months ago. That in itself has to be a major help for a 22-year-old still getting familiar with the pressures and demands of playing at this level.
“Yeah, it’s brilliant,” says Prendergast, who makes a point of noting the good work done by other coaches in Farrell’s absence.
Prendergast helped send Tommy O'Brien through for a try against Japan. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
“I think anyone who’s ever spoken about Andy has said how the brain he has for rugby is brilliant and also his emotional intelligence. Any kind of conversations you can have around the game, whether it be mental or kind of strategic, it is always beneficial for me.”
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In recent weeks those conversations have focused around what Farrell wants to see from a player who experienced a swing of highs and lows since first wearing the Ireland jersey.
“I think he just wants to see me playing with a bit of confidence and going and taking things on. It’s not necessarily about being perfect, but it’s about looking to do the right thing and not putting restrictions on yourself, and I always find that refreshing.”
And there’s a balance to strike within that. While Prendergast aims to show Farrell he can be the leading man at 10 again, it’s important he doesn’t force things on the pitch. Important too to not let selections become too much of a dissapointment. All of which also applies to Crowley.
“If either of us are getting bogged down by the rotation over the last year, I suppose it’s selfish,” Prendergast says.
“I think we both agree that it’s important we both stay positive and both just try to contribute to the team as best as we can. Like I thought Jack has played very well the first two games and started the season really well. We both get along very well and we both share the same ambitions, so it’s not that hard to get on.
Prendergast has featured twice off the bench this month. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
“Like, you always want to start and I think there’s probably five or six fly-halves in Ireland who want to start those games and yeah, it can be frustrating, but it’s just about not letting it eat you up because all you can really do is stay positive, try to improve every day and if you keep doing that, then you hope the big picture things take care of themselves.”
The key for Ireland is that the performances get back to the level they are striving for, regardless of who is winning the battle at 10 on any given week. Prendergast has different strengths to Crowley, and vice versa, and both feel they are able to put their own unique stamp on how Ireland play when they get those opportunites.
“I’d say all of us (out-halves) would say maybe (we influence the style of play) a slight bit because we all want to be ourselves. Like as in, no one’s going out there to be… Just say, so Johnny’s (Sexton) played for Ireland and Leinster for so long.
“I don’t think it’s going to work if all of us are trying to be like Johnny, because we’re not Johnny. We need to try to be ourselves and I think all of us would probably say that, yeah, we’re all coached and taught the same things, we all kind of want to put our own flavour on it and I think that’s probably when each of us get the most out of the team.”
The Sexton influence is still there, with the former out-half now involved full-time as part of Farrell’s coaching staff.
“Probably his strength was how quickly he picked up things and I think it’s quite cool to see how he, like he has probably changed a lot. I never got to really experience him as a player, but I’d say he changed a lot from being a player to a coach in terms of how he maybe messages things.
Sam Prendergast speaking to the media in Abbotstown. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
“But I have found it incredibly beneficial. I think all of us tend to agree, I think from a kicking point of view, from attack, defence, even just from a mental point of view, I think he’s probably one of the best to ever do it.
“So it’s just looking for his opinion on things and the way he goes about things, but also his openness to learn as well, because he’s probably thinking he needs to learn as a new coach, and I think that openness he has is quite refreshing and it’s good to learn off.”
This weekend presents another opportunity for Prendergast to put his stamp on things. There’s no hiding the fact there’s a pressure involved around all of these outings, but the Kildare man has settled into a familiar routine to help him keep cool ahead of game day.
“I’ve actually been watching Fast and Furious, watching all those from the start. I started watching them on the way to South Africa (earlier this season). So that’s what I’ve been ploughing through.
“I think I’m on Fast and Furious 7 now, so I’m getting through them at a rate of knots. That’s what I’ve been doing to relax.”
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'It's not going to work if all of us are trying to be like Johnny, because we're not Johnny'
IT HASN’T BEEN the November he would have wanted so far, but Sam Prendergast doesn’t have the look of a man feeling sorry for himself.
Two games in, the Leinster man has had to be content with a total of 42 minutes, all of which have come with the number 22 on his back. He’d rather have a firmer hold on the 10 shirt, but at the moment, the position is in a bit of flux. Prendergast was the main man during last year’s Six Nations but in this window Andy Farrell has preferred Jack Crowley, who was enjoying the stronger form coming into camp.
It will switch again, and may do many times over the coming years, but as it stands Prendergast is able to appreciate the bigger picture. He was disappointed with his showing off the bench against New Zealand but felt better about his contribution against Japan, which included a lovely disguised pass leading to Tommy O’Brien’s try.
That’s the type of action Farrell wants to see from the young out-half, who, it is worth remembering, is still only 11 games into his Test career. It’s also worth remembering that when Prendergast shot into the limelight last season, the Ireland head coach wasn’t around for much of it. Farrell gave Prendergast his shot this time last year but by the time the 2025 Six Nations kicked-off and the rookie tackled his first championship as an international out-half, the Ireland boss had stepped away to take on his Lions commitments.
A dip in form saw Prendergast miss out on the Lions, so while 18 of his Ireland teammates laced up in Australia, Prendergast’s summer focus was a low-key Ireland tour to Georgia and Portugal – a tour which most of the regular Ireland coaching staff missed.
So after a whirlwind year, this camp is Prendergast’s first with Farrell and the full Ireland coaching staff since his international break-through 12 months ago. That in itself has to be a major help for a 22-year-old still getting familiar with the pressures and demands of playing at this level.
“Yeah, it’s brilliant,” says Prendergast, who makes a point of noting the good work done by other coaches in Farrell’s absence.
“I think anyone who’s ever spoken about Andy has said how the brain he has for rugby is brilliant and also his emotional intelligence. Any kind of conversations you can have around the game, whether it be mental or kind of strategic, it is always beneficial for me.”
In recent weeks those conversations have focused around what Farrell wants to see from a player who experienced a swing of highs and lows since first wearing the Ireland jersey.
“I think he just wants to see me playing with a bit of confidence and going and taking things on. It’s not necessarily about being perfect, but it’s about looking to do the right thing and not putting restrictions on yourself, and I always find that refreshing.”
And there’s a balance to strike within that. While Prendergast aims to show Farrell he can be the leading man at 10 again, it’s important he doesn’t force things on the pitch. Important too to not let selections become too much of a dissapointment. All of which also applies to Crowley.
“If either of us are getting bogged down by the rotation over the last year, I suppose it’s selfish,” Prendergast says.
“I think we both agree that it’s important we both stay positive and both just try to contribute to the team as best as we can. Like I thought Jack has played very well the first two games and started the season really well. We both get along very well and we both share the same ambitions, so it’s not that hard to get on.
“Like, you always want to start and I think there’s probably five or six fly-halves in Ireland who want to start those games and yeah, it can be frustrating, but it’s just about not letting it eat you up because all you can really do is stay positive, try to improve every day and if you keep doing that, then you hope the big picture things take care of themselves.”
The key for Ireland is that the performances get back to the level they are striving for, regardless of who is winning the battle at 10 on any given week. Prendergast has different strengths to Crowley, and vice versa, and both feel they are able to put their own unique stamp on how Ireland play when they get those opportunites.
“I’d say all of us (out-halves) would say maybe (we influence the style of play) a slight bit because we all want to be ourselves. Like as in, no one’s going out there to be… Just say, so Johnny’s (Sexton) played for Ireland and Leinster for so long.
“I don’t think it’s going to work if all of us are trying to be like Johnny, because we’re not Johnny. We need to try to be ourselves and I think all of us would probably say that, yeah, we’re all coached and taught the same things, we all kind of want to put our own flavour on it and I think that’s probably when each of us get the most out of the team.”
The Sexton influence is still there, with the former out-half now involved full-time as part of Farrell’s coaching staff.
“Probably his strength was how quickly he picked up things and I think it’s quite cool to see how he, like he has probably changed a lot. I never got to really experience him as a player, but I’d say he changed a lot from being a player to a coach in terms of how he maybe messages things.
“But I have found it incredibly beneficial. I think all of us tend to agree, I think from a kicking point of view, from attack, defence, even just from a mental point of view, I think he’s probably one of the best to ever do it.
“So it’s just looking for his opinion on things and the way he goes about things, but also his openness to learn as well, because he’s probably thinking he needs to learn as a new coach, and I think that openness he has is quite refreshing and it’s good to learn off.”
This weekend presents another opportunity for Prendergast to put his stamp on things. There’s no hiding the fact there’s a pressure involved around all of these outings, but the Kildare man has settled into a familiar routine to help him keep cool ahead of game day.
“I’ve actually been watching Fast and Furious, watching all those from the start. I started watching them on the way to South Africa (earlier this season). So that’s what I’ve been ploughing through.
“I think I’m on Fast and Furious 7 now, so I’m getting through them at a rate of knots. That’s what I’ve been doing to relax.”
Yet slow and steady wins the race.
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Ireland Rugby Sam Prendergast