Sam Prendergast 'will be a world-class player' says Luke McGrath

Senior coach Jacques Nienaber’s was keeping whatever tactical, strategic or personnel ‘learnings’ from Ireland's Six Nations campaign to himself.

WORLD CLASS: Sam Prendergast is tackled by Tommaso Menoncello and Manuel Zuliani of Italy. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.

We’re a little shy of two years since the higher education of Sam Prendergast began with the out-half’s senior Leinster debut away to the Lions at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.

Barely 20 at the time, the Kildare man played all 80 minutes in a three-point win, and again a week later when a painfully callow touring team went down 62-7 to a much stiffer Bulls challenge at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.