Sam Prendergast ready to break new ground with Ireland after URC final high

Leinster sealed the title win at GAA HQ on Friday night. 

Sam Prendergast: "I reckon I played a better game [on Friday] than last year’s final and that’s probably the end goal, isn’t it? You want to keep progressing as the years go on and that’s what I am chasing down." Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Sam Prendergast is ready to break new ground with Ireland after wrapping up a difficult spell with a man-of-the-match performance in last Friday night’s URC Grand Final.

The Leinster No.10 was exceptional on the night and that was across all departments.

His link play in attack was excellent with some of the usual creative touches on show, his kicking varied between excellent and so-so but his defensive work was markedly improved from the levels that have drawn such criticism before.

All of which leaves him primed to lead Ireland’s attack against Australia, Japan and New Zealand on this summer’s tour now that Jack Crowley has been ruled out with a blood vessel injury.

“It’s a pretty special tour to go on. I haven’t been down there to Australia or New Zealand,” he said. “It’s fairly exciting with the fixtures that are there and I feel like a lot of the provinces were playing very well towards the end of the year.

“Results maybe didn’t go certain team’s ways but there was a lot of lads playing good rugby. It’s quite an exciting team to be involved in.” 

Prendergast has endured a brutally difficult season in which he lost his place as first-choice ten with both club and country. And not just his starting place. Both Leinster and Ireland saw fit to use Ciaran Frawley on the bench ahead of him too.

Put it like that and his effort three days ago was all the more impressive having been parachuted back in to the province’s plans for the URC run-in, but Prendergast was composed enough to point out that it hadn’t all been gravy.

“Every game is different. There are bits I was happy with and I still made loads of errors. The lads did such a brilliant job up front with the amount of injuries up there and how well they played in terms of scrum and lineout defence.

“They didn’t really give the Bulls much and then how the lads inside and outside me played as well. The platform I was given makes it all the easier.” 

Bulls’ Canan Moodie is tackled by Sam Prendergast of Leinster during the URC final. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Maybe the highlight was his successful chase back to deny Stravino Jacobs a certain try by diving at the winger’s feet just as the South African was poised to kick the loose ball through the last couple of metres on a break away.

That was early enough in the game, just midway through the first-half, and with Leinster’s lead only 12 points at that stage. There were other tackles of note too. The trick now is to stitch all this together week after week going forward.

Either way, his turnaround in recent weeks has been incredible.

“It’s just [about] constantly trying to get better and play better. I reckon I played a better game [on Friday] than last year’s final and that’s probably the end goal, isn’t it? You want to keep progressing as the years go on and that’s what I am chasing down.

“There were obviously parts of the season where I wasn’t too happy with how I was playing and I wasn’t getting selected because of that, which is just the nature of it. It’s nice to be able to put out on the pitch stuff that I am working hard at and getting better at.” 

Prendergast’s flip in fortunes is just another reminder as to how quickly things can change. Build on this Down Under this next month and it will renew the debate over who is the best man to lead Ireland back to Oz for next year’s World Cup.

That’s tough on Crowley who reacted brilliantly to adversity himself in regaining the initiative during the last Six Nations. Like him, Prendergast will at least come away from this campaign with a greater understanding of what’s required and how to go about it.

“It was probably very different compared to last season in terms of how it started over in South Africa and getting thumped by the Stormers,” said Prendergast. “There was a tough run of fixtures and we lost a run of games early.

“But I have a lot of good people around me in terms of coaches and a lot of the leaders within Leinster and Ireland are very good to listen to. They would have been a huge help through some of those performances that I wasn’t playing as I wanted.”