Ireland vs Fiji: ‘Remember that name’ – meet Sam Prendergast, Ireland’s new fly-half
Life has flown by for Prendergast over the past few years.
Born in Kildare, he spent 18 months of his childhood in Syria, where his father Mark, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Irish Defense Forces, was stationed.
“I have great memories of it,” Prendergast recalled of his time in Damascus.
“I met Diarmuid Mangan there who was my Under-20s team-mate and his family were there so we spent a year there and after leaving school we lived Together.
“It’s a bit of a coincidence, but it was special to share a special day with him.”
He dabbled in Gaelic rugby and football at school, but ultimately chose rugby. He represented Newbridge and Lansdowne before joining the Leinster academy in 2022, at which time Sheehan left to join Connacht.
Prendergast began to make a name for himself on a half-fly diet of Sexton, Danny Cipriani, Quade Cooper and Damian McKenzie. In 2022, he scored 15 points in an under-20 match in Italy, including a late penalty from long range, to help Ireland beat England.
He won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023 with the Ireland Under-20s and reached the World U20 Rugby Championship final.
His quick feet and James Nicholson passing during the Six Nations win over Wales even caught the attention of All Blacks legend Sonny Bill Williams, who said “Remember my friend their names”.
He first showed his mettle on his Leinster debut against the Lions in April 2023, converting six of his seven kicks to help the province win the Rugby Union Championship for the first time in South Africa.
Last season was a development season. He made just four starts for Leinster but apparently impressed enough on Farrell and his coaches to bring him to South Africa.
Earlier this year he was tasked with starting three games for an emerging Ireland side in one week in South Africa. His composure in handling such a heavy workload was key to Farrell’s decision to include him against Fiji.
