IRELAND LEGEND BRIAN O’Driscoll believes 22-year-old out-half Sam Prendergast is settling into life at the top of international rugby impressively.
Prendergast has started all three of Ireland’s Six Nations games so far in the number 10 shirt, playing the full 80 minutes against Scotland and Wales as Simon Easterby’s side claimed the Triple Crown.
Prendergast and Ireland now have their sights set on securing the Six Nations title and a Grand Slam.
O’Driscoll has enjoyed watching Prendergast’s development in the green shirt, while he also praised Jack Crowley for his role off the bench.
The former Ireland centre pointed out that Prendergast has had good and bad moments, but O’Driscoll believes that there is much to be excited about.
“He just goes about his business, pretty unflappable,” said O’Driscoll, speaking as an ambassador for Guinness, who have teamed up with Field of Vision to bring a revolutionary sensory experience to visually-impaired Six Nations fans.
“He makes mistakes, does brilliant things, like you would anticipate with anyone finding their way into international rugby. He is five or six Tests in at 22 years of age, kicking goals, kicking 50:22 spirals, drops the odd pass, throws the odd wayward one – that’s just part of the learning curve of playing Test match rugby.
“But there is so much good stuff to be excited by. Yeah, defensively the physicality… he’s putting his body in there and he’s not going to be eviscerating guys but I think we know that. I don’t think he’s Johnny when it comes to the defensive side of things.
“I’ve enjoyed watching him. I’ve enjoyed Jack when he came on for his 25 minutes against England and when he has come on at fullback. I think we’re in a nice spot with the two of them.”
Ireland came through a demanding challenge in Cardiff last weekend that was made tricker by outside centre Garry Ringrose’s 20-minute red card for a head-on-head tackle.
Ringrose will be part of an independent disciplinary hearing tomorrow to learn whether he faces a follow-up ban but while O’Driscoll feels that might go against Ringrose, he doesn’t think the Ireland centre needs to make drastic changes to his game.
“I think the speed at which he comes in, it’s an out-of-control speed,” said O’Driscoll. “It’s that that maybe might work against him.
“It’s his first red, he’s 30. In the modern game, everyone is going to get sent off. It was different in our time. I should have been sent off in 2013 [for a stamp against Italy] but that was actually for foul play, that was a proper sending-off. I got a yellow card but I should have been red-carded and I actually picked up a ban.
“Garry, he’s a fraction off. Think about all the dozens of massive hits, the one he got wrong against Scotland over in Edinburgh [in 2023] when he injured himself, it hasn’t stopped him from shooting and not respecting his body. A little bit of you as an ex-player, you’re wincing like everybody else, but also enjoying the heroics, his ability and willingness to put in those shots for the team.
“To have your first red, considering he has defended that way for a long time, as a 30-year-old is OK, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Maybe for the next couple of weeks when he comes back playing, you maybe hedge your bets a little bit more and build back that belief. The last thing you want to do is get sent off three weeks later. But I don’t see it changing dramatically.”
Even if Ringrose is banned and misses the huge game against France in Dublin in two weekends, O’Driscoll believes Ireland will be fine without him.
Robbie Henshaw has been in excellent form, while Bundee Aki made a huge impact off the bench as the replacement for Ringrose after the 20-minute red card window.
“Every time he plays for Ireland, he goes well,” said O’Driscoll of Aki. “Every time.
“It’s so hard leaving one of them out because they all offer something different. I even think Robbie dealt with defending in the centre on his own unbelievably well for 20 minutes. It’s such a hard thing. He’s very good at reading short and out the back, very underrated in that department. OK, Wales did score a pick-and-jam and Tom Rogers scored but that’s multiple phases and they caught them.
“I would say we’re very, very lucky to have all three of them playing as well as they are. And it’s unusual, someone is nearly always injured but then you have Jamie Osborne in the background who could come in at 12. It’s a very nice position to be in and it’s a real luxury.
“If Garry does pick up a ban of some sort, you’re not losing a huge amount. Maybe a little bit in attack but you’re gaining elsewhere with Robbie and Bundee playing together.”
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