When the Leinster Academy no. 10 Sam Prendergast made his Ireland u20s debut during the summer, he already had a name for himself, owing to the fact that his brother Cian was an an established backrower with Connacht, and on tour in New Zealand with the senior Irish squad.
By the end of the Six Nations U20 Summer Series however, Sam had built a reputation as an outhalf with an extremely varied and confident attacking kicking game, and the ability to slot 45 meter match-winning penalties against England.
Still, as he explained at the Ireland U20s media day, his big bro - who represented the Ireland U20s in 2020 - is still there to lend a few words of his advice before the U20s Six Nations kicks off on Friday.
He’s given me a few little hints about it, that it’s a big step up in what you’re used to at this age and you’re not really prepared for the intensity. But he really enjoyed it and it was one of the most exciting times, so there’s a lot to look forward to.
Sam Prendergast Is Ready To Pull The Strings For The Ireland U20s
Sam Prendergast has had some tournament for the Irish U20s this Summer.
Love the combination of deception, strength and speed he shows here to beat so many defenders.#IrishRugby #U20SummerSeries pic.twitter.com/wikW226Z7A— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) July 12, 2022
READ HERE: Sam Prendergast And His Starring Role For The Ireland U20s This Summer
The former Newbridge College man has racked up a sizeable amount of experience is recent months, both for Lansdowne in the AIL and for Leinster A.
He also spoke about how helpful his summer experience will be when taking on is first U20s Six Nations.
"Really beneficial, especially having played against teams like France and South Africa, very power based teams.
"It’s kind of good to see what they’ll be like this year, but also playing away, all the games were away from home so it’s in kind of an uncomfortable setting. That kind of experience will put you in good shape going into this week, being away from home on kind of an uncomfortable weird pitch, weird setting so it’s very beneficial.
"I think a lot of the lads are fairly well equipped," said Prendergast on the new faces in the squad. "I would be still asking a couple of the lads like Conor O’Tighearnaigh, James McNabney, and Diarmuid Mangan, because they have all kind of experienced the Six Nations, and what the crowd’s like and what the intensity’s like. And I think they’ve been fairly helpful.
"But I think lads who have come out of school this year, they're been fairly well equipped for it themselves. A lot of them won the Senior Cup with Blackrock…. so they’re fairly well settled to that kind of atmosphere."
Ireland begin their 2023 U20s Six Nations campaign against Wales, in Colwyn Bay, on Friday (kick-off: 19.00). The match will be shown live on Virgin Media.
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