Former England, and British and Irish Lions scrum-half Ben Youngs believes Leinster and Ireland fly-half Sam Prendergast is “not prepared” to make a Lions tour, with Andy Farrell set to call his squad this week.
The 22-year-old endured a troublesome afternoon on the Aviva Stadium as Leinster have been upset by Northampton Saints within the Investec Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Whereas Prendergast’s defence has been below the microscope within the wake of the loss, Youngs, speaking on his For the Love of Rugby podcast, additionally questioned the Irishman’s recreation administration.
The Leicester Tigers No.9 did assert that the Leinster star may have a “very sturdy likelihood” of creating the Lions squad in 4 years, however stated Saints fly-half Fin Smith “was by far the higher participant” in Dublin.
“I’ve said it before about Prendergast,” Youngs said. “Against France for Eire he was on the again foot and he appeared like he had no concept find out how to handle that, find out how to seize the sport by the scruff of the neck and determine it out. I noticed it once more on the weekend.
“He didn’t know, he didn’t have the solutions. He out of the blue began doing counter-attack and shifting it when it was nonetheless a decent recreation.
“He simply appeared flustered. He didn’t appear to be he knew find out how to drag Leinster again into the sport.
“Once I take into consideration the tens which might be out there – Finn Russells, Marcus Smiths, Fin Smiths, your George Fords – you fit them in that Leinster staff, are you able to think about how good they might look? That, for me, is sufficient. You place Prendergast in a few of these different groups that these guys are enjoying, the place they haven’t bought the luxurious of a full worldwide staff, he doesn’t get anyplace close to them.
“I’ve seen sufficient to counsel, for my part, that he’s not prepared but for the tour that’s developing.”
“Should you take a look at Prendergast and also you take a look at the place he falls quick in some areas of his recreation, it’s the bodily a part of it. Groups appear to be getting momentum round him. He’s falling off tackles, they’re getting velocity of ball in and round him.
“It’s like he’s simply enjoying on this system the place choices are all made for him. There isn’t this ‘nicely this isn’t working proper not, Saints are dominating us, we’re chasing the sport and that is how the sport must be received’.
“He strikes me as somebody who’s been advised ‘on this space of the sector you do that, on this form you do this, you then do that, you then do this.’”
Youngs additionally questioned the choice to go away All Black Jordie Barrett on the bench for a recreation of such magnitude.
Barrett solely featured for the ultimate half-hour of the match as Leinster chased the game- a choice that baffled Youngs and his co-host Dan Cole.
He added: “You’ve purchased him on the bottom of 1 thing- it’s going to win Europe, one thing they’ve haven’t been in a position to do since 2018. That’s why you’re getting him, and also you’re benching him.
“We now have Handre Pollard at our place as our marquee participant at Leicester and it’s like attending to a semi-final within the Premiership and placing him on the bench.
“Should you’re bringing Rieko Ioane subsequent season, which they’re, you get to a semi-final and also you bench him? What’s the purpose of bringing him in? You don’t actually deliver him in to play the URC as a result of Leinster can decide their second or third staff and so they’ll nonetheless be within the prime 4 for the URC.
“You’re bringing them in to win Europe and you then don’t decide them. It astonishes me.”
