Jacques Nienaber: Ireland setback will make Sam Prendergast stronger
SAM'S THE MAN? Sam Prendergast arrives for Leinster training this week. Pic: INPHO/Gavin Cullen
Jacques Nienaber believes his Leinster out-half Sam Prendergast will emerge all the stronger for his recent disappointments with Ireland.
The Dubliner started Ireland’s opening two matches of the Six Nations, against France and Italy, before Andy Farrell turned to Jack Crowley for the impressive defeat of England in Twickenham and the Munster stayed in situ from there to the end.
Prendergast actually found himself outside the matchday 23 for the final three rounds with the Ireland brains trust turning instead to the more versatile Ciaran Frawley on the bench. It was a major step back for the youngest of Ireland’s No.10s.
And it’s not like everything is much rosier at Leinster.
Prendergast is in a major battle with Harry Byrne to start this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup round of 16 tie at home to Edinburgh. It’s impossible to call as each player has started one of the province’s two URC games since the end of the Six Nations.
“I don’t know how he is personally, I didn’t ask him,” said Nienaber, Leinster senior coach. “I wouldn’t say he is different to what he was before he left. If he looks down I would go to him and ask if he is okay. He is 22. He is realistic in his head that this is professional sport and sometimes you will be flavour of the month and sometimes you won’t be.
“You have to work through that, and that makes you better. It doesn’t break you, it makes you stronger.. He is just cracking on to be honest. Obviously, you have to take on board that you are where you are for a reason and that is where the development happens. He has got certain skill sets that took him to a very high level with Ireland.
“I can’t comment as I don’t know the comms with coaches there. But they are very diligent there and I am sure they will have had conversations with him and he will work on that. That is how you improve. And they would have had the same chats with Jack Crowley before now. That is professional sport.”
The province is expected to sweep past their Scottish opponents on Easter Sunday, as is evidenced by the fact that less than 20,000 fans are expected at the Aviva Stadium. Many are obviously saving their money for an expected home quarter-final a week later.
Still, Leinster have some injury issues to occupy them this week.
James Ryan didn’t train on Tuesday but has not yet been ruled out. Tadhg Furlong was out on the paddock but is, like Ryan, Jimmy O’Brien and Garry Ringrose, one of those who will be assesses further before a decision is made.
One man certainly out is lock RG Snyman who has been sidelined for the rest of the season at least with the third ACL injury of his career. A “devastating” blow for the player, said Nienaber who, nonetheless, made the point that this is the game they are in.
The South African coach made reference to others like Paddy McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Ryan Baird, Jamie Osborne and Hugo Keenan, all of them players who are currently out long-term or just back from a lengthy fitness-based absence.
“Yeah, look, it's an injury that he's had before twice,” he said of Snyman. “The positive thing is you have a good understanding of what the road ahead looks like, from that point of view, and RG is that type of guy. It's happened. It's not the first time it's happened to a rugby player. It's not going to be the last time it happened to a rugby player.
"So, the key thing is it happens. That is rugby. Unfortunately, it's a contact sport and you just need to try and deal with the fact that you're injured. And then you have to focus on, ‘okay, let's get the operation done, let's get myself medically sorted out’. And then you go on the path of rehab. And that's just how life is, isn't it?”
Leinster’s form remains patchy as they reintegrate their fit Test players back into the grid and go about chasing that elusive fifth star in Europe having fallen short so frustratingly and so many times in the last five years.
The bad taste left behind from last year’s shock semi-final loss to Northampton Saints in Dublin still lingers. As for lessons from that day, Nienaber focused on the ten-minute period where a narrow Leinster lead morphed into a double-digit deficit.
“It’s one moment, or one patch, where you don’t get your shit right and things can go quickly like that. That’s it. It can go both ways.”
It’s just two weeks since a similarly costly ten-minute spell saw them cut adrift by Glasgow in Scotstoun. No-one expects their Scottish neighbours to do anything similar this weekend, but Leinster have work to do in the weeks ahead, on both fronts.
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