IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell is set to hand 21-year-old Sam Prendergast his first Test start in Saturday’s clash with Fiji.
Leinster out-half Prendergast made his Ireland debut last Friday night when he came off the bench in their win over Argentina.
Jack Crowley started Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand and the victory against Argentina but Farrell now looks set to rotate Prendergast into the number 10 shirt to give him a starting chance.
Prendergast was part of Ireland’s tour of South Africa last July but didn’t feature in the Tests against the Springboks. He then started all three of Emerging Ireland’s games on their tour of South Africa in October, preparing him for his first senior caps this autumn.
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Prendergast has only played 20 games for Leinster and has yet to start in the Champions Cup, but having shone for the Ireland U20s as they won a Grand Slam and reached the World Cup final last year, the Kildare man has been fast-tracked by Farrell.
It now looks like Prendergast will be asked to guide Ireland’s game plan against a physical, talented Fiji team at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Prendergast could be partnered by Craig Casey in the halfbacks as Farrell gets set to make changes to his starting XV after the win over Argentina and ahead of next weekend’s final autumn international against Australia.
Jamie Osborne, who has impressed off the bench in midfield in both Tests over the past fortnight, is likely to come into the starting team against Fiji and could line out at fullback, where he impressed in the summer against the Springboks.
Props Tadhg Furlong and Tom O’Toole are back in the mix after injuries, although flanker/lock Ryan Baird has been ruled out with a head injury.
Cian Healy is set to become Ireland’s most-capped player of all time by making his 134th appearance.
Bundee Aki could return to the side to bring his physical edge, while Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale is also in contention for a start.
Farrell will have considered whether so-far unused forwards like Cian Prendergast and the uncapped Cormac Izuchukwu have a role to play against Fiji.
21-year-old Leinster hooker Gus McCarthy, who was named as a “training panellist” for this month, is thought to have impressed Farrell and his coaches, meaning they have considered handing him a debut too.
Ireland are due to officially name their matchday 23 at 2pm on Thursday afternoon.
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Prendergast set to start at number 10 for Ireland against Fiji
IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell is set to hand 21-year-old Sam Prendergast his first Test start in Saturday’s clash with Fiji.
Leinster out-half Prendergast made his Ireland debut last Friday night when he came off the bench in their win over Argentina.
Jack Crowley started Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand and the victory against Argentina but Farrell now looks set to rotate Prendergast into the number 10 shirt to give him a starting chance.
Prendergast was part of Ireland’s tour of South Africa last July but didn’t feature in the Tests against the Springboks. He then started all three of Emerging Ireland’s games on their tour of South Africa in October, preparing him for his first senior caps this autumn.
Prendergast has only played 20 games for Leinster and has yet to start in the Champions Cup, but having shone for the Ireland U20s as they won a Grand Slam and reached the World Cup final last year, the Kildare man has been fast-tracked by Farrell.
It now looks like Prendergast will be asked to guide Ireland’s game plan against a physical, talented Fiji team at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Prendergast could be partnered by Craig Casey in the halfbacks as Farrell gets set to make changes to his starting XV after the win over Argentina and ahead of next weekend’s final autumn international against Australia.
Jamie Osborne, who has impressed off the bench in midfield in both Tests over the past fortnight, is likely to come into the starting team against Fiji and could line out at fullback, where he impressed in the summer against the Springboks.
Props Tadhg Furlong and Tom O’Toole are back in the mix after injuries, although flanker/lock Ryan Baird has been ruled out with a head injury.
Cian Healy is set to become Ireland’s most-capped player of all time by making his 134th appearance.
Bundee Aki could return to the side to bring his physical edge, while Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale is also in contention for a start.
Farrell will have considered whether so-far unused forwards like Cian Prendergast and the uncapped Cormac Izuchukwu have a role to play against Fiji.
21-year-old Leinster hooker Gus McCarthy, who was named as a “training panellist” for this month, is thought to have impressed Farrell and his coaches, meaning they have considered handing him a debut too.
Ireland are due to officially name their matchday 23 at 2pm on Thursday afternoon.
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Autumn nations Series playmaker Sam Prendergast