Cian and Sam Prendergast: Rising Stars of Irish Rugby
The Prendergast family has made waves in Irish rugby with two talented brothers, Cian and Sam, both of whom play for the Irish national team.
Cian Prendergast
Cian Prendergast, born on February 23, 2000, plays as a flanker. He began his rugby journey with Newbridge RFC and showed leadership skills by captaining his school’s Senior Cup team and the Leinster schools team in 2018. Initially aspiring to join Leinster, Cian faced setbacks when he was not accepted into their academy.
In April 2020, he joined the Connacht academy and debuted in October of that year. By March 2021, he signed a professional contract. Cian was named Connacht’s captain ahead of the 2024/25 season. He earned his first international cap during the 2022 Six Nations Championship against Fiji. Controversially, he was left out of the 2024 Men’s Six Nations squad.
Cian has a strong social media presence, with nearly 7,000 followers on Instagram. His personal life remains somewhat private, but he has shared moments with Róisín McConnon online since January 2023.
Sam Prendergast
Sam Prendergast, born on February 12, 2003, plays as a fly-half. He started as a scrum-half before growing and transitioning to his current position. Sam played for Newbridge College, Newbridge RFC, and Lansdowne FC before joining the Leinster academy in 2022.
He made his first-team debut in April 2023 against the Lions in the United Rugby Championship, where he was named player of the match. Sam began representing Ireland at the under-20 level in 2022 and gained attention during the 2023 under-20 Six Nations. Although he was included in the 2024 Six Nations training panel, he did not play in the matches.
Recently, Sam debuted for the senior Ireland team during the 2024 Autumn internationals against Argentina. He has a larger Instagram following than Cian, with 33,000 fans. Sam is in a relationship with Anna Walsh, and they went public with their romance in March 2022.
As the Irish squad prepares for their upcoming match against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium, the spotlight shines on these talented brothers, each making significant strides in their rugby careers.
