IT WAS A certainty that Sam Prendergast would get his Ireland debut this month but most commentators felt it might come in their third Test against Fiji.

Instead, the 21-year-old out-half is in line to get his first cap off the bench as Ireland host Argentina this Friday.

It has been clear for some time that Andy Farrell and his coaches are excited about Prendergast’s potential.

And why wouldn’t they be? Prendergast was an outstanding Ireland U20 international, leading that team to a Grand Slam and World Cup final in 2023.

The Leinster out-half trained with Farrell’s squad ahead of the Six Nations earlier this year, he was brought on tour to South Africa in July to keep learning, then he started all three of Emerging Ireland’s games in South Africa a couple of months ago – a clear indicator that he was being readied for this autumn window.

So even though Prendergast has yet to become a first-choice player for Leinster and has only played for his province 20 times, he’s set to become an Ireland international on Friday.

“He’s ready,” said Farrell this evening at Bective Rangers FC’s clubhouse in Dublin.

“For a young fella that’s not had much game time provincially, he’s obviously had more of late but in an ironic way, he’s probably been patient enough.

“Because in his own mind, he’d probably thought he’s been ready for quite some time because he’s that kind of kid, a confident kid.

“The experience that he’s got from being around the squad, he’s comfortable in his own skin.

Ireland boss Andy Farrell at the Bective clubhouse. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

“The reason for taking him on the Emerging tour was to make sure that he understood what it was to grab hold of his team and show that he is in charge.

“He showed that in abundance, we’ve seen the knock-on effect from that in the squad in the last couple of weeks.

“In his own mind, he’s ready. He’s a young kid that’s in a pressurised type position obviously. He’s going to make mistakes, but that’s the nature of anyone coming through.”

While Prendergast takes the latest step in his rise, Jack Crowley continues as Ireland’s starting out-half.

The Munster man will be among those looking to right the wrongs of last weekend’s defeat to New Zealand.

“Jack, along with quite a few of our players, would have been hoping for a better performance,” said Farrell.

“Some of them are lucky enough to get another chance to do that, others are coming in, and some of them played pretty well themselves, but there were too many people not right at their best last week and we’re hoping for everyone to improve, not just Jack.

“Obviously, the control of the game is something that Jack would be open and honest about of wanting to step up a little bit this weekend but we’ve certainly seen that in training this week.”

Ciarán Frawley is the out-half missing from the matchday 23 this week, having had a tough outing in his 23-minute appearance off the bench against the All Blacks. He will hope for another chance against Fiji or Australia in the coming weeks.

Jack Crowley starts at number 10 again. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

All three of Ireland’s out-halves continue to work with Johnny Sexton, who has joined the group as a part-time coach/mentor.

Farrell is pleased with Sexton’s work with the number 10s so far.

“I’ve seen his influence, certainly with the kickers,” he said. “They’ve certainly come on in the last couple of weeks by a bit of routine, support, mentoring. That’s not just for the kickers, that’s across the board.”

Farrell has made just one change to his starting XV this week as Robbie Henshaw comes in for Bundee Aki in midfield, although there are four changes to the bench, with Leinster tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson also set for his Ireland debut.

“Balance of the squad and the right team to play this game,” said Farrell when asked for his thinking behind the selection.

“It’s not just about the starting team, it’s always about the 23, and not just the here and now but managing people for what’s to come as well. We were pretty lucky in regard to injuries last weekend.

“Getting people going because of how they’ve trained is pretty important as well, obviously with the lack of games for the provinces, etc., all these pieces, they always come together. At the end of the day, first and foremost, it’s about gaining a performance against Argentina but obviously keeping the squad ticking over at the same time.”

Farrell underlined that Ireland’s players and coaches are determined to deliver a much-improved showing on Friday.

They know the pressure is on them to prove a point and win against the Pumas.

“Pressure’s good,” said Farrell. “It’s what concentrates the mind, you see where your character’s at. We want to win all our games but the opposition is always going to have a say in that.

“I think this is perfect because we’ve got another top, top-drawer opposition coming and we want to test ourselves because we feel like we let a few people down last week.”