ANDY FARRELL HAS given the people what they want: uncapped players. There’s always anticipation and speculation about which youngsters should be included in the next Ireland squad. And there’s always disappointment if fresh faces aren’t introduced.
Farrell’s 35-man squad for the trip to South Africa hits the mark with the uncapped Sam Prendergast, Cormac Izuchukwu, and Jamie Osborne included. These are three exciting talents. 21-year-old out-half Prendergast is a product of Cill Dara RFC and Newbridge College, who he helped into the Leinster Schools Senior Cup final in 2020 when he was still in fifth year only for Covid to force its cancellation.
Newbridge had to settle for sharing the title with Clongowes. Prendergast didn’t get another shot as the 2021 competition was called off altogether but he was firmly on the radar. He showed his potential to a wider audience with the Ireland U20s in 2022, leading them to a Grand Slam and a World Cup final in confident, skillful fashion.
Prendergast was in the Leinster sub-academy for the 2021/22 season, playing club rugby with Lansdowne. He moved into the full academy in the summer of 2022 and ended up only doing one season there before being promoted to the Leinster senior squad last year. So this is still his first full season as a professional rugby player.
Prendergast has played plenty of senior rugby compared to his peers from the Ireland U20s squad but he remains down the out-half pecking order in Leinster, with Ross B.