Andy Farrell: Sam Prendergast has 'once again earned the right' to wear the No.10 jersey
Head coach Andy Farrell during an Ireland rugby squad training session. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Sam Prendergast’s roller-coaster season has continued, but Andy Farrell says the rising playmaker deserved to return to the No.10 jersey for Saturday’s sold-out clash against the Wallabies in Sydney after his strong finish to the United Rugby Championship.
With Munster’s Jack Crowley sidelined, Farrell has brought back Prendergast after steering Leinster to the United Rugby Championship final. Ciarán Frawley remains on the bench.
The 23-year-old is one of five changes to Farrell’s starting side from the one that finished the Six Nations on a high.
“The way that he's handled the last month is a credit to him,” Farrell told reporters in Sydney.
“He’s once again earned the right to [wear the jersey].”
Elsewhere, Farrell appears to have shown his tactical hand by moving fullback Jamie Osborne to the wing to accommodate the return of Lions starter Hugo Keenan in the No.15 jersey.
With James Lowe now out of the selection picture following his controversial departure from Leinster, Farrell said he didn’t hesitate in naming Osborne on the wing as part of a back three trio alongside Keenan and speedster Robert Baloucoune.
“He’s been playing and playing really well and two, he's a bloody good rugby player in whatever position he's playing,” Farrell said.
“Obviously, with how we want to play the game with our wingers to make sure that they're involved and stuff like that, he's a smart rugby player. So he gets that straight away. He’s pretty good in the air, good left boot on him and all that type of stuff. So it all comes into the pot, for sure.”
Stuart McCloskey, who was arguably Ireland’s best in the Six Nations, also has been named at inside centre to join Garry Ringrose in the midfield. It’ll be the centre’s first game in two months.
Up front, Farrell has selected a predictable and strong tight-five, with James Ryan joining Joe McCarthy in the second-row.
Jack Conan shifts from blindside flanker to No.8 in the absence of regular captain Caelan Doris. Cian Prendergast joins Josh van der Flier to complete the loose-trio. Tadhg Berne will come off the bench.
It’s the same front-row as the one that finished the Six Nations, with Dan Sheehan to start at hooker.
While Ireland is on a five-Test winning run against the Wallabies, including November’s 46-19 victory, Farrell said he wasn’t reading much into their last clash.
“Not much at all, really,” he said. “I think that they would see the start of the international season as a clean slate and a chance to keep pushing forward now.
“We're all on a bit of a journey up to the World Cup, so I'm sure that they're excited for that. The side that they've picked shows that they've certainly got the personnel to be able to start their season particularly well. They've got some good athletes all over the field.
“Both teams have changed a little bit and we'll see how that develops on Saturday night.”
Farrell, too, knows never to write off the Wallabies.
It was the best part of 12 months ago Farrell’s led-Lions team were pushed to the brink against the Wallabies at the MCG.
While they snuck home to seal the Lions series win, they failed to seal the series clean sweep as they were well beaten in Sydney in the rain.
Along the way, Farrell saw glimpses of what the Wallabies were capable of producing when they were fit and took their chances, and it’s why he reiterated his comments from a year ago when he thought they could challenge at next year’s World Cup.
“Have a look at the cattle that they've got. They've got some superb rugby players,” he said.
“You look at the centres and the edges that they've got, the back row that they've got, the people that have coming off the bench, the people that they've got out injured, etc. They're building nicely, that's for sure.
“The Lions tour obviously meant an awful lot to them and it certainly did to the British and Irish Lions as well. But yeah, you saw the fruits of that by going to Joburg and coming back and winning. You see the capability of the side. I read some reports this week that if they get it right, they can beat anyone in world rugby. I would agree with that.”
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