Ireland playmaker in race against time
INJURY UPDATE: Ireland face a nervy wait over the fitness of injured flyhalf Sam Prendergast ahead of the Nations Championship opener against Argentina on Friday.
Prendergast emerged as a major doubt for the showdown after suffering a wrist injury in training last week, casting uncertainty over his availability at a time when he appeared to be the frontrunner to start at No. 10 for Ireland.
The injury threatened to derail his involvement in Andy Farrell’s opening fixture of the November window, but an Ireland squad statement issued on Sunday painted a far more positive picture.
#REACTION: “We made good strides and the next phase of our development will be to beat teams like Ireland.”
https://t.co/cS4disZGRP— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) November 1, 2026
“The Ireland squad have stepped up their preparations ahead of the visit of Argentina to Aviva Stadium on Friday in the Nations Championship Northern Series.
“Jimmy O’Brien has resumed full training, while Sam Prendergast continues to improve and the management are optimistic that he also will be available for selection.”
With Munster’s Jack Crowley sidelined by a long-term injury, Prendergast had appeared to be the leading candidate to wear the No. 10 jersey against Los Pumas following a strong start to the season with Leinster.
The 23-year-old produced back-to-back Player of the Match performances against Cardiff and Clermont Auvergne before the wrist injury interrupted his momentum.
Prendergast’s injury forced him to miss Leinster’s URC clash with Munster at the Aviva Stadium, where Joey Carbery was handed his first start at flyhalf since returning to the province.
Last week, Irish confirmed that Centre Garry Ringrose will miss the three Tests against Argentina, Fiji and the Springboks due to a hamstring injury.
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