There Were Several Tough Calls – Easterby On The Ireland Team

Interim Head Coach Simon Easterby says there were several tight selection calls not least the choice of Sam Prendergast at ten for Ireland’s Round 1 clash with England in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations on Saturday.

“Those two are going to play a lot of rugby and they are going to compete with each other, along with a few others, Ciarán Frawley also in the squad. They are going to play a lot of rugby and compete for a long time, I think.

“This decision has gone Sam’s way. We felt like he did really well in November, he got a taste for international rugby. He went away and played really well for Leinster in a good period for them, and he was a big part of the successes across the December window and into the new year.

“We feel like he’s the right man this weekend to lead the team. He’s a lot of experience around him and even the way Jack has trained and played coming into the Six Nations means that Sam knows he’s got to keep raising his game and keep getting better.”