It’s a running theme that hasn’t been put to bed quite yet. The seemingly never-ending debate about who should start at 10 will continue into the week before the game against Scotland in Murrayfield on Sunday. Who’s it going to be?
“I think it’s quite healthy competition,” said Sam Prendergast after Ireland’s victory over England. “Jack [Crowley] is a great lad and a great player. I’ve seen how well he plays. I think we both just kind of work together. As much as people want to think we hate each other, we just work together. I think he’s playing very well at the moment as well and I thought that he played very well when he came on.”
That’s just in case anybody thought the two young players were at each other’s throats as they compete to see who earns the starting shirt. A head-to-head with Scottish pivot Finn Russell, a strong candidate for the British & Irish Lions, is likely and a worthy challenge for any outhalf.
Are Ireland Six Nations favourites?
“Well I need to see if I get picked first to be honest with you,” Prendergast said when asked about that prospect. “We’ve a lot of good 10s in our group. At the moment I’m just focused on that battle. I played against him a couple of weeks ago here for Bath and he was very good. He’s a very good player but I wouldn’t be thinking about that too much at the moment.”
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Prendergast missed two kicks at goal against England and then landed one. He also kicked a few balls long and some passes went astray. But the 21-year-old also did good things during the match and there is a learning curve that both he and Crowley are on as they continue the international journey. He is in no doubt there is room for growth and improvement.
“Okay. Good in parts. Not so good in parts,” he said of his performance. “I’ve lots to improve on.
“I was happy with that kick, a couple of nice kicks to touch,” he added. “There was a bit of free-flowing attack in the first half and the second half. I thought we attacked well at times, we were just not as a clinical as we would have liked to be. A few kicks went awry in the first half, just went a bit long, weren’t contestable enough. When you are playing at this level that is going to be punished.”
Prendergast did also stick a pass on to Bundee Aki on the left wing before the centre galloped up the touchline and through three England defenders to score his try.
“I gave him the pass but he did a lot of finishing, to be fair. I can’t take much credit for that,” said Prendergast.
As the match unfolded Prendergast gave way to Crowley after 58 minutes. Hindsight tells the Leinster player that he didn’t always get his choices and execution right.
“Well, the one in the first half, I knew there was advantage, but it was a bit loose,” he explained. “Still probably shouldn’t have thrown it. You know when there’s advantage, you know you can try to create something out of nothing.”
There was another pass blocked on the five-metre line. Everything he did, good and bad, will go into the bank of experience.
