‘If you can’t tackle, I’m never picking him’ – Ex-Lion insists Sam Prendergast’s ‘serious issue’ should rule out tour selection
Leinster and Ireland Sam Prendergast, and former Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald.
Former British and Irish Lions back Luke Fitzgerald has insisted that Andy Farrell should not take Sam Prendergast to Australia for the upcoming tour after his recent defensive struggles.
The fly-half had a meteoric rise over the past few months, becoming a starter for both Leinster and Ireland, and therefore putting himself in the Lions selection frame.
Prendergast impressed at the start of the Six Nations but was heavily criticised following Ireland’s home defeat by France.
The playmaker then returned to Leinster to steer the ship in their Investec Champions Cup quest, starring in the victories over Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors.
Wilted under pressure
However, like it did in the Six Nations, it all went wrong for the 22-year-old in the semi-final when the pressure came on with Northampton Saints exposing his defensive frailties.
As a result, it has put his Lions participation in serious doubt, with Fitzgerald of the opinion that he should not be heading down under when the squad is named on May 8.
“He is going to be world-class but, and it’s a big, big but, he has got a serious issue with his defence. I have been calling this from day one, this problem is only going to get worse for him if he does not fix it,” the former Ireland wing told The Left Wing podcast.
“He has got a problem with his feet, he’s way, way too far away from all his contacts. His secondary work, aside from his initial hit is just not good enough – he’s not staying in the fight long enough.
“I just don’t think he places enough importance on it, it’s the only thing you can really say. I hate myself for killing a young guy like this but this is a problem.
“I would never ever pick someone who doesn’t tackle. It’s not a good thing to say about a player and I really feel bad saying it. I hope he gets it fixed because you can quite clearly see in attack he will only get better.”
Ex-Ireland star issues stark warning to Sam Prendergast in scathing review of Champions Cup exit
While there were some nice passes in attack, which led to tries for Tommy O’Brien and James Lowe, there were issues last Saturday in Prendergast’s game.
The fly-half missed a few kicks off the tee and also failed to control the game, but Fitzgerald reckons those problems are secondary to Prendergast’s defensive struggles.
“His kicking is another thing… [but] I’m not as surprised at that part, I think that gets better throughout your career,” he said.
“You can see he’s got lovely technique, he’s got the power, he’ll get that stuff right, but I would never pick a guy who doesn’t tackle and he needs to get that fixed quickly.
“He needs to get some weight on him and he needs to get some proper technique about his footwork and what he’s doing with his hands getting close to contact.
“And his mentality. He’s a big guy so this shouldn’t be a problem for him. He’s created a problem for himself now, it’s not unfixable but it’s hard now because we’re all going to be talking about it.”
Prendergast’s big defensive error
Fitzgerald pointed to one particular moment in the second period which summed up Prendergast’s attitude towards defence.
“In the second half for the [James Ramm] try that Northampton got, watch him on the ground. He slips off the tackle and he’s complaining to the referee about a ruck,” he said.
“It kind of looked like Leinster had a poach but the referee let it go. He’s on the Northampton side of play, on his arse with his hands up, complaining to the referee when he should be getting back into the defensive line.
“It was not great defence by Leinster, I think [Hugo] Keenan probably commits a little bit too early… but Prendergast is sitting on his arse and complaining to the referee instead of getting back into the line.
“It’s desperation stakes there. That’s just not understanding the game and the importance of defence, and how important it is to be an extra man, and position yourself in the right places.
“I really feel like I’ve killed him there and I really don’t want to do that – it’s not the intention – but it’s a big problem and I really want him to get it right.
“That really hurt me watching that. I want him to go well for Leinster and Ireland, but he’s got to get the defence fixed. They are big, big problems.”
Prendergast has been fast-tracked through the Irish system, ultimately overtaking Jack Crowley as the national team’s first choice fly-half.
Crowley has only started one match for Ireland since the middle of November, but Fitzgerald insists that he is currently “better” than his rival for the shirt.
“I hope he doesn’t gloss over this and think that he needs to focus on the other parts, such as game-management. Those things will come, the defence he’s got to get sorted right now or you cannot pick him,” he said.
“I’ve been very clear from the start on this, Crowley is a better player for me at the moment. I would have Crowley there ahead of him.
“He’s got beautiful hands, lovely skills, but if you can’t tackle, I’m never picking him – simple as.”
