"A Serious Challenge" - Sam Prendergast ready for Leinster's South Africa trip and eyes up Ireland lead for Autumn Series

Prendergast is eager to remind Ireland head coach Andy Farrell of his abilities in the 10 slot, after he was left out of Farrell's squad for the British & Irish Lions tour this past Summer. Whilst 15 of his Ireland teammates were followed by the Sea of Red in the land down under, Prendergast spent the Summer as one of the more experienced heads upon Ireland's expedition across Georgia and Portugal.

Whilst Prendergast only had eight Ireland caps ahead of the Summer tour, the halfback was one of the more seasoned players in the squad. There were 13 uncapped hopefuls upon the touring group, as Prendergast gained valuable experience upon the leadership group, alongside tour captain Craig Casey. Ireland bagged a solid 34-5 win over Georgia to ignite their trip, before racking up a history making 106-7 hammering of Portugal, to set a new Ireland Test match scoring record in Lisbon.

“I thought it was a pretty cool tour in general. For me personally, there was a lot of lads who I'd been on Emerging Ireland tours with, or on the under-20s with. So it's pretty cool from that sense." Prendergast said to RUCK, as he reflected upon the Summer.

"I thought it was quite an exciting group, and I think we did quite well, like we performances. I think it was two good performances from the squad, and, yeah, it was just a very enjoyable tour.”

“It was different. I've probably spent the last year leaning on a lot of the other lads who have a lot of experience, and so it's different in that sense. In those kind of couple years, you've learned from a lot of them, a lot of great leaders."

With such a significant contingency of Ireland's senior players away with the Lions, Prendergast realised just how much presence those figures carried around the Ireland camp. The halfback stepped into their shoes upon their Australian absence, and recalled the leaders whom he channeled, as he led Ireland's inexperienced squad across their European tour.

"We've a great group of leaders in Leinster. Caelan Doris, Jack Conan, James Ryan, Gary Ringrose, then in Ireland, you've got all the same lads, but you've also got Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy who've all finished up. So, you've learned a lot from them. It was quite a different experience, it was quite enjoyable as well, because it was all the new coaches. So everyone was just trying to do the best they could, it was quite enjoyable.”

Speaking of the coaching staff, the Ireland technical boxes also saw a re-shuffling, as Andy Farrell was off on Lions duties, and took Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman, Johnny Sexton and John Fogarty along to Australia with him. Legendary Ireland forward Paul O'Connell stepped up to the interim head coach reins, and Prendergast reveled in the opportunity to have the iconic lock at the helm.

“Paulie is is such a great leader when he was a player, and he's also an unbelievable coach. He understands the game so well and is so curious about the game. I think his energy towards the game is quite infectious. Then the way he works with people like we had Denis Leamy, Colm Tucker and Mike Prendergast coming in, who are all very, very good coaches.

"I think everyone was working towards the same goal of two good performances.I think that's just what made it quite enjoyable. It was enjoyable for me as well, working with coaches I've never worked with. So, it's good that you learn different things from different coaches.”

Among the fresh faces making their maiden appearance in the famous Emerald jerseys, Prendergast was delighted to see his Leinster teammate Tommy O'Brien step up to the Test match stage. After a break-out performance for Ireland A against England A back in February, O'Brien rode this momentum into the Summer, and bagged braces against both Georgia on debut and in Portugal for a memorable first tour.

“It's cool. I love playing with Tom." Prendergast said. "I suppose he's very different to a lot of players, but he's so enthusiastic. He's a lunatic on the pitch, he's brilliant to play with. I've played a lot of rugby with Tommy throughout the last few years, but I think everyone's kind of seen when he stays injury free, he's a serious, serious player.

"I just really enjoy playing with him, because you don't have to get him a whole lot of space, and he can kind of make something happen. So it's quite enjoyable.”

Before Prendergast returns to the Test match stage, he will first embark upon a fresh United Rugby Championship season with Leinster. The Dubliners claimed their crown in the URC era this past season, with the triumphant win over the Vodacom Bulls in Croke Park ending a four year wait for a league title.

Leinster have shuffled the deck with a handful of high-profile departures and arrivals, with a fresh feel around the province ahead of the new campaign. Seven players left Dublin at the end of the 2024/25 season, including All Blacks superstar Jordie Barrett who returns to New Zealand, whilst front row legend Cian Healy hangs up his boots after a record-setting career in Leinster blue.

Whilst one All Black departs from Dublin, another arrives in the Irish capital as Leinster have secured the services of Reiko Ioane for the upcoming season. Also, Harry Byrne returns from a loan spell with Bristol Bears, as his brother Ross Byrne heads out to the West Country with a move to Gloucester Rugby. with the dust settled on the transfer windown, Prendergast is ready to defend the URC crown, starting with a daunting block of fixtures which start across the land of the Springboks.

“You're always looking to win trophies, that's a huge goal of all clubs. We have quite an exciting start to the season, going away to South Africa for the first two games, then coming home, playing the Sharks, then Munster in Croke Park, then Zebre to finish off that block. That's a very tough start season, but a really exciting start the season.

"I love going away to South Africa and playing, in club rugby, it's a unique challenge. I enjoy it anyway, I think everyone in Leinster does, and we enjoy the challenge of how we've found it hard to win over there for the last few years. We enjoy that challenge, to be a part of a win over there.

"It was my debut [Emirates Lions vs Leinster, 2023] and it was a huge highlight of my career. It was just so enjoyable in how it's always hard fought over there. I think that's where we're going to kind of build off. It's that kind of start which is an exciting starts the season.”

I've had this mixed kind of experiences [in South Africa]. I've won in Johannesburg, I've also got hammered in Johannesburg! Pretoria is always hard to go to with the Bulls, in terms of the DHL Stadium, Cape Town's a tough place to go as well. They're all unbelievable stadiums, but they're tough places to go. I don't think anyone's ever saying they're looking forward to going back, but I think they're great places to play and great places to win. That's the real test of rugby, is over there.”

Whilst Prendergast's immediate focus is upon a strong start to the URC season with his defending champions Leinster, the appeal of a solid return back in the green jersey is also more than on the radar. Prendergast is eyeing a big role with Ireland this Autumn, and retain the possession of the 10 jersey in which he controlled for the majority of the 2025 Six Nations and subsequent Summer Tour.

A blockbuster trip over to the United States kicks off the Autumn, as Ireland and booked in to face the All Blacks in Chicago. This is then followed by a trio of Aviva Stadium clashes, as Andy Farrell's side host the Brave Blossoms, Wallabies and Springboks across back-to-back weekends. Prendergast knows how a solid start to the new URC campaign with put him in good stead for a starring role this November.

“It's about the performances to start the year off. Putting my best foot forward to start the year off, and look to play as much as I can in the Autumn. I'll look to get selected for the Autumn, because it's a very exciting Autumn coming up. So, it's all about the start of the season, in terms of putting my best foot forward and trying to play your best leading into it.”

The clash against the All Blacks in Chicago's Soldier Field has already caught Prendergast's imagination.

"It's quite a exciting time for everyone in Irish rugby. That day, I think it was 2016 when Ireland beat them [New Zealand] over there, it was such a special day, such a big occasion. I think everyone, the Ireland rugby fans, are looking forward to that, Ireland rugby players, everyone involved in Ireland rugby is looking forward to that. So it's pretty cool.”

“I was there on holidays last year. It's pretty cool place. I'd say it'd be pretty cool to play rugby in.”

Sounding off upon the upcoming Autumn Nations opponents and Prendergast is gunning for the clash with Australia. After missing the Lions tour, Prendergast is excited to bring the fight to the Wallabies and the fly half backs his teammates to bring their plethora of recent Lions experiences to the fold.

“Obviously, a three-Test series is pretty cool to be part of for them. You learn a lot probably about your opposition. It's different in terms of season cycles, as in, those lads who played on the Lions tour, finish their season and then are into preseason, where Australia will keep going through the Rugby Championship, and they're going well. So I've played against them once, and they're a very good side, and they seem to only be getting better. So they're a serious challenge.”