SAM Prendergast has been given the nod by Andy Farrell to steer Ireland from the start against Fiji.
Saturday’s test comes only a week after he earned his first cap during the 22-19 win over Argentina.
With his girlfriend Anna after coming off the bench versus Los Pumas[/caption]
A sweet family snap with the cap he’ll treasure for the rest of his life[/caption]
On an idyllic stateside holiday with Anna[/caption]
The starting XV as a whole is a more experimental one than the previous two November Internationals as two other newcomers in Gus McCarthy and Cormac Izuchukwu will make their debuts.
Excitement around the 21-year-old fly-half is already very high despite his limited appearances for Leinster, never mind Ireland.
But he has been earmarked as the most likely long-term successor to Johnny Sexton for both club and country.
Here’s everything you need to know about him:
How old is Sam Prendergast?
The Kildare native will turn 22 early in the new year. His birthday is February 12.
Having attended Newbridge College for his Leaving Cert he went on to study at Trinity College.
He lined out for Lansdowne RFC in the AIL before making the grade at Leinster.
He’s been on the radar of even casual rugby fans as a huge prospect ever since his instrumental role in the Ireland U20s’ Six Nations grand slams of 2022 and 2023.
Who is his brother Cian?
24-year-old Cian is also likely to become a fulcrum player for the national team over the next few years.
He’s a flanker and outweighs Sam by about 20kg.
Between that, their contrasting hairstyles and the fact they play for different provinces you could be forgiven for not realising they are in fact brothers.
Incredibly, May’s inter-pro was the first time they’d ever been on a rugby pitch for an official match together.
Sam revealed to Leinster TV after their 33-7 RDS win: “Yeah it was class, the game around Christmas I was devastated to be left out cause I knew all my family were going and Cian was playing.
“But it was great when I knew I was playing, there’s a good bit of family in the crowd.
“I never played with him or against him in rugby, only in football for our football club so it was great to play against him and yeah I tried to run away from him!”
Sexton’s role in his development:
Prendergast looks to be the future for Leinster albeit Ciaran Frawley and the Byrne brothers Ross and Harry will have something to say about that.
Jack Crowley is currently the incumbent for Ireland too and is only three years older at 24 so they could be set to battle for the 10 jersey for the next decade.
With Sexton onboard as a fly-half consultant for the national side, both men will benefit from being able to consult his wealth of knowledge on the position.
Earlier this week Farrell rebuffed the notion that they should en masse try and step out of Sexton’s shadow with some fans worrying if bringing the 39-year-old is the right move.
But Farrell insisted: “I’ve heard that said by a few. That couldn’t be any further from the truth.
“Honestly, these guys love sharing their thoughts and even more importantly Johnny sharing his thoughts on them.
“All that he’s trying to do, and they 100 per cent know this, is that he’s there to help them and they appreciate that.”
Asked to clarify his role, he said: “It’s defined at the minute. Obviously place-kicking is one.
“He’s taken hold of the high-ball stuff and the mentoring of players that you would expect him to.
“Johnny wouldn’t want to come in all screaming, ‘look at me, I’m here’. He’s come in softly and he’s certainly building through it now and we see a lot of improvement in the areas that he’s coaching.
“It’s just for this campaign. Obviously we’ll keep on talking but all the signs are good.”
