Sam Prendergast is set to retain his place as the Irish outhalf against Australia in Saturday’s concluding Autumn Nations Series game at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 3.10pm) after starting there for the first time in last weekend’s 52-17 win over Fiji.
The side for Ireland’s November finale is due to be announced at around 2pm on Thursday and is expected to see the return of several players who were rested against Fiji. However, the signs are that Prendergast will be retained, with the returning Jack Crowley to be named among the replacements.
Prior to being rested last week, Crowley had been the first-choice outhalf in Ireland’s nine games since the World Cup and the ensuing retirement of Johnny Sexton, having been an ever-present in the Six Nations title defence before starting both Tests in South Africa and the opening two games of this Autumn Nations Series against New Zealand and Argentina.
That said, after playing every minute of Ireland’s Six Nations title defence, Crowley was replaced around the hour mark in the two South African Tests and the two opening Autumn Series games, with Prendergast being described as “excellent” by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell after coming on for his debut against Argentina a fortnight ago.
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Farrell was similarly effusive after Prendergast’s eye-catching full debut last week in the win over Fiji, when he overcame an eighth minute yellow card and a couple of wayward kicks in a stylish display which confirmed the impression that very little, if anything, seems to faze him.
“I thought he did great. I thought he was really composed. The kick to the corner, that was harsh as well, but it didn’t bother him,” said Farrell regarding one of those kicks out on the full, adding: “He had a few mistakes within his game, but he was pulling the strings for a good while, and he was really, really composed.”
“It’s tough against Fiji because you don’t know what you’re going to get in front of you at times,” he said in highlighting the breakdown. “You have them shooting out from out wide, and to have the composure and play the line like he did at times, I thought it was a great showing from him.”
Orchestrating Ireland’s attacking game in that seemingly effortless and trademark style of his, and invariably timing his passes to perfection, Prendergast landed five conversions, including one from the touchline after his perfectly weighted cross kick set up one of Mack Hansen’s tries.
If Prendergast is named to start against the Wallabies next Saturday, it will further quicken the meteoric rise of the 21-year-old, who was the star turn in the Ireland under-20s side which won a Grand Slam and reached the World Cup final two seasons ago.
Although he has been fast-tracked into the Leinster senior squad and started all three games on this season’s Emerging Ireland tour, prior to this Autumn Nations Series Prendergast had only started eight games for Leinster, all in the URC.
Yet, as if to illustrate the rapid nature of his rise to the Irish number 10 role, if picked Prendergast will be winning his third cap and making his second successive start at Test level at the age of 21, whereas Ronan O’Gara was a month shy of his 23rd birthday when making his debut against Scotland in February 2000. Sexton, meanwhile, was 24 when he made his Irish debut against Fiji in November 2009 at the RDS.
The expectation is that Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park will all return to the backline, and likewise Rónan Kelleher at hooker and James Ryan in the secondrow, with Tadhg Beirne likely to revert to blindside flanker.
Similarly to Crowley having to be content with a place on the bench, the same could be true for Garry Ringrose, as the signs are that the in-form Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw will be retained in midfield.
Cian Healy is likely to return to the match-day squad as a replacement which would see him earn his 134th cap off the bench, thereby eclipsing Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland’s most capped player of all time.
Akin to the younger Prendergast brother, it could be that the investment in his Ireland under-20s captain from two seasons ago, Gus McCarthy, will continue after his eventful, try-scoring debut last week.
IRELAND (v Australia, possible): H Keenan; M Hansen, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, F Bealham; J McCarthy, J Ryan; T Beirne, J van der Flier, Doris (capt). Replacements: G McCarthy, C Healy, T O’Toole, I Henderson, P O’Mahony, C Casey/C Murray, J Crowley, G Ringrose.
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