IT WAS APRIL 2020 when Cian Prendergast became a Connacht man.
Up until that point, he had been dreaming about wearing the blue jersey of Leinster.
Prendergast had played for his native province’s underage teams and was part of the sub-academy after finishing school at Newbridge College. But when then-Leinster academy manager Noel McNamara rang the Kildare man during the original Covid-19 lockdown, it was with deeply disappointing news.
Leinster didn’t have space for Prendergast in their academy, he was told by McNamara. Alex Soroka and Seán O’Brien – who is now also with Connacht – were part of that Leinster intake, while flanker Martin Moloney was also in the academy at the time.
It was only two days later when Prendergast’s phone rumbled again and it was Connacht academy boss Eric Elwood asking if he was up for coming west. This has proven to be a seriously smart bit of business from the westerners.
“I said, ‘Yes’ before he could even finish the sentence,” is how Prendergast remembered that call with Elwood a couple of years later.
Prendergast made an impact in Connacht pretty much from the moment he arrived and now, four years later, he is the province’s new captain. It is a huge statement of belief in the 24-year-old’s maturity and ability from Connacht boss Pete Wilkins.
Prendergast takes over from Jack Carty, who saw JJ Hanrahan become the starter at out-half last season before the latter’s injury and who now faces strong competition from once-capped All Blacks Josh Ioane for the number 10 shirt as the new season begins this weekend.
Prendergast is an obvious first-choice pick for Connacht and it makes sense that the skipper should be nailed on for a start. It’s not the first time he has been a captain. Prendergast did it with Newbridge, as well as the Leinster Schools team and the Ireland U18 Clubs and Schools side.
Naturally enough, he hasn’t had the responsibility in senior professional rugby because there have been more experienced, older heads for his coaches to pick. But the traits of leading by example and fighting relentlessly have remained an essential part of his game. Ireland boss Andy Farrell is a fan of Prendergast’s ferocity, giving him three caps before he narrowly missed out on making the 2023 World Cup squad.
Connacht have been impressed by Prendergast’s bloody-minded determination since day one. They liked how he turned up in the academy with his sights set on playing for the senior team as soon as possible, rather than simply accepting that he needed to develop behind the scenes before getting his chance.
He made his debut just months after joining and played 10 times in his first season, earning an instant bump up onto a senior professional contract ahead of the 2021/22 season. Prendergast has been a starter ever since, most often in the number six shirt but also at number eight, while he can play at seven and even cover the second row.
His lineout skills are a big strength to go along with his tackling power, aggressive ball-carrying, smooth handling skills, and high work rate. By his admission, the one big area he has had to work on has been his discipline and that will be an even more important challenge now that he’s captain.
Prendergast’s sheer desire to cause havoc for the opposition has sometimes seen him give away needless penalties or fall foul of a referee. It comes from wanting to make an impact, but it’s something he has had to focus on with Wilkins and Farrell. Finding that balance will be all the more crucial as skipper.
Even at that, Prendergast’s undying competitiveness is what Wilkins wants at the heart of his team. The Kildare man has always had high expectations for himself and his team and all of Connacht.
“They care so much and sometimes you wish they were harder on you, because sometimes when you don’t get a result they’re a little bit too nice,” Prendergast told the Irish Times of Connacht’s fans last year.
“I wish they were a little bit harsher, but that’s probably a good complaint to have.”
Prendergast’s parents, Mark and Ciara, were high-ranking army officers so his focus and disciplined approach to improving aren’t a huge surprise. His younger brother, Leinster out-half Sam, shares many of the same mental traits.
While Prendergast isn’t Connacht by birth, he symbolises something that the team has tapped into a bit more openly in recent years. He, like many of his team-mates, was essentially deemed surplus to requirements elsewhere and there’s no doubt that kind of setbacks spur players on to prove a point when given a chance elsewhere.
It would be easy to shy away from that aspect of this Connacht squad’s make-up but it can be a strength when channelled in the right manner. There have possibly been times when Connacht have been too willing to play the chip-on-the-shoulder underdogs card but there’s power in this being one strand of your identity.
Connacht take pride in players like Matthew Devine and Hugh Gavin – born and bred in the province and part of the pipeline the whole way up – making it through to professional level as senior figures such as Carty and Caolin Blade have done before them, but it’s also true that Prendergast has made Connacht his home. He is every bit as committed as the lads who wore Connacht jerseys when they were kids.
So as the province looks forward, with the stadium redevelopment in full swing in Galway and Wilkins’ side keen to bounce back from a disappointing season in 2023/24, the appointment of Prendergast as captain seems like a smart call.
Like any captain, particularly a young one, Prendergast will need experienced senior figures around him to shoulder some of the burden.
Joe Joyce, Carty, Blade, Bundee Aki, Dave Heffernan, Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham, and Santiago Cordero are among those who have their unique forms of leadership to offer too, but Prendergast is the man tasked with leading from the front. He knows nothing else.
