Ireland vs Fiji: ‘Remember that name’ – meet Sam Prendergast, Ireland’s new fly-half

Life has moved fast for Prendergast over the past couple of years.

Born in Kildare, he spent 18 months of his childhood in Syria, where his father Mark – a lieutenant-colonel the Irish Defence Forces – was based at the time.

“I have great memories of it,” Prendergast recalled of his time in Damascus.

“I met Diarmuid Mangan, who I played under-20s with, over there, his family were over there at the same time so we spent a year over there and we were living together when we left school.

“It was a bit of a coincidence but it was quite special to share special days with him.”

He dabbled in Gaelic football and soccer at school but eventually chose rugby. He represented Newbridge and Lansdowne before joining the Leinster academy in 2022, by which stage Cian had left to join Connacht.

Having consumed a fly-half diet of Sexton, Danny Cipriani, Quade Cooper and Damian McKenzie, Prendergast started to make a name for himself. In 2022, he kicked 15 points – including a late penalty from distance – to help Ireland beat England in a pulsating Under-20s encounter in Italy.

In 2023, he starred for Ireland’s Under-20s during their Six Nations Grand Slam triumph in 2023 and their run to the World Rugby U20 Championship final.

His quick feet and offload for a James Nicholson try in the Six Nations win over Wales even caught the attention of All Blacks legend Sonny Bill Williams, who said “remember that name my friends”.

His Leinster debut, against the Lions in April 2023, offered an early glimpse of his mettle, nailing six of his seven kicks to help secure the province’s first United Rugby Championship win in South Africa.

Last season was one of development. He started just four times for Leinster but clearly left enough of an impression for Farrell and his coaches to bring him to South Africa.

Earlier this year, he was tasked with starting three Emerging Ireland games in the space of a week in South Africa. The aplomb with which he handled such a heavy workload was key to Farrell’s decision to throw him into the mix against Fiji.