‘He’s class’ – Ireland youngster who has earned Johnny Sexton comparisons set to get a shot in the Champions Cup

Colin Newboult
Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast for Ireland U20s in 2023.

Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast for Ireland U20s in 2023.

An injury to Leinster fly-half Harry Byrne has opened the door for exceedingly talented youngster Sam Prendergast this weekend.

The Ireland starlet, who shone for the U20 side as they claimed an age-grade Grand Slam earlier this year, will be in Leinster’s 23-man squad for their clash with Sale Sharks.

Prendergast has made just fleeting appearances for the Irish province so far, but has impressed when given an opportunity this season.

He started against the Scarlets last month and shone in the dominant 54-5 triumph over the Welsh region at the RDS Arena.

Both Byrnes out

The 20-year-old understandably moved down the pecking order following Ross Byrne’s return from the Rugby World Cup, but injuries to him and his brother, Harry, have opened up an opportunity.

As a result, Ciaran Frawley will start in the Champions Cup on Saturday with Prendergast looking to make an impression off the bench,

“I think he is (ready),” Leinster’s attack coach Andrew Goodman said. “He has a great skill set and he’s a really composed young man.

“If he gets an opportunity, I’ll be really excited to see him go.

“Seeing out on the training field even, he’s class. He’s got time on the ball. He’s a really confident and composed guy. At the age of 20, he’s not afraid to demand of those around him, which is a great sign for a young 10.”

Since bursting onto the scene in the U20 Six Nations, Prendergast immediately drew comparisons with Johnny Sexton.

Many expect him to be the long-term successor to the great Ireland fly-half, who retired following their Rugby World Cup defeat to New Zealand.

According to Goodman, Sexton has greatly influenced the development of the 20-year-old, as well as the other playmakers in the squad.

“It says a huge amount for Johnny for one because they’ve been able to work with one of the best ever,” Goodman said.

“To see someone like him operate day to day the way he used to train every day, first and foremost, the standards that he used to drive and then his performance on the back of every weekend, for those young lads to be able to experience that first hand, well, that’s amazing for them.

“I know they’ve all taken lots from the way he ran the week in terms of the meeting room and the messages he delivered, but also the way he trained and performed on the back of that.

“It’s great to have all those options at 10 and competing hard, again they work really hard together, they push each other hard.

“But when the selection calls are made they make sure they get behind that guy and do what’s best for the team, which is a great thing about them.”

Sexton passing on his skills

Goodman can even see little things within their respective game styles which are akin to what Sexton used to do.

“They’re always themselves but there’s little bits you can see, ‘yeah, that’s the way Johnny would have done that’ or he would have delivered the message the same way,” he added.

“So they would have all picked up things from him but they’ve all developed their own way of doing it as well, which is great and which is what you want, you want them to be themselves.

“That’s when you’re at your most confident.”

READ MORE: Jacques Nienaber having ‘big impact’ at Leinster as they shut out La Rochelle in Champions Cup