Opinion: Why Ireland must drop ‘liability’ Sam Prendergast for probable Six Nations decider
Sam Prendergast has started all three of Ireland's Six Nations games thus far.
Rugby can be an art, and throughout the history of the sport, there have been several iconic artists.
From Shane Williams to Chris Latham and to Brian O’Driscoll, these men were some of those able to create pieces that deserved to be hung in the Louvre.
Sam Prendergast may be the next to join this long list.
Not many players in rugby could make a group of men in a bar audibly gasp and pause from drinking their pints to just admire the sport as he threw a flat pass, taking out the rushing Welsh defence to locate its target in James Lowe.
While managing to get the same table to speak about how Ireland are going to be contenders for the next World Cup if he is wearing the number 10 jersey, as he incredibly and accurately found touch for a momentum-swinging 50/22 for Ireland as they chased the game in Cardiff.
Rugby prodigy
There is no doubt the 22-year-old is a rugby prodigy with the ball in hand, managing to produce moments of magic and create holes in defences believed to be impenetrable.
However, if Ireland dream of beating France on March 8 in a showdown in Dublin for the Six Nations title, then Simon Easterby will have to remove the Leinster man from the matchday squad.
This may seem a strange decision, but he may be the reason France win for the first time in Ireland in front of a crowd since 2011, putting them in the driving seat to lift their second championship since 2010.
Easterby and Andy Farrell have seemingly gifted the Leinster fly-half ownership of the Irish playbook, looking to him as the future of the position for the country, sidelining Jack Crowley and Ciaran Frawley.
And while he has justified this decision so far, as he has yet to suffer defeat while representing the Boys in Green at senior level, being the key to unlock the opposition in many of these fixtures.
All his great qualities were on display in the win over Wales, but so were the worst.
Time and time again, he has been identified as a defensive liability by pundits, fans and the opposition.
In that same bar where fans were unable to believe their eyes at his ability they were pulling their hair out at his tackle technique and defensive positioning, with one jumping from his chair exclaiming: “Just bleeding tackle him!”
The countless images and videos that have since surfaced have highlighted how much of a weakness he is, needing the other 14 men to do his defensive work.
One French artist will be counting down the days before he can expose this.
Antoine Dupont is renowned for finding any team’s weaknesses and exposing them, needing only an inch of space to create art.
He will have a field day as he targets Prendergast’s channel.
Ireland do have the solution to this defensive issue.
Crowley.
He is a perfectly capable fly-half and has shown he is a far better defender than the Leinster prodigy.
It is this element of his game that Easterby needs to consider when deciding the matchday squad for that championship decider.
The Munster man has been in fine form for club and country since the new year, summed up in his performance against Northampton in the Champions Cup.
He also starred in Marseille last year against Les Bleus, and he could once again use his qualities to break French hearts.
This may have many thinking starting Crowley would see Prendergast drop to the bench for the match; however, he is that much of a defensive liability that if he entered the match for any period of time, France would go after him to find the victory.
So, this would mean recalling Frawley for the game, as he is also a better defender than Prendergast, and he offers Easterby the tactical flexibility to either go with a 5/3 split or a 6/2 to deal with ‘Le Bombe’ squad.
The Australian-born fly-half has essentially been left in the wilderness following a poor display in Ireland’s last defeat when the All Blacks came to Dublin in autumn, despite being the hero in South Africa last summer.
Frawley backing
A fine display though against England A last weekend for Ireland A may have seen Frawley play himself back into the thoughts of the Irish coaching staff.
This could have been the much-needed performance to earn him a spot back in the matchday 23, just as it is coming to crunch time for Ireland to make history in their search for three Six Nations titles in a row.
The decision to remove Prendergast may not be a popular one for many, believing him to be the second coming of Johnny Sexton and the man to lead Ireland to the promised land.
He may very well fulfil all his potential and be the man to do exactly that; however, at this present moment, his defensive frailties are being exposed at the highest level at this minute in time and it will cost Ireland a Six Nations title.
So, the tough decision to sideline him must be taken, turning to the man that won and guided Ireland to last year’s championship and a versatile back that can be relied upon off the bench to complete the job.
READ MORE: Ireland to bid farewell to 372 caps of experience as veteran trio who played ‘a huge role’ in success announce their retirements
by Brendan McGilligan
