Latest news with #SamPrendergast
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sexton told Ireland fly-halves to 'delete social media'
Johnny Sexton told Ireland fly-halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley to "delete social media" in order to guard themselves from online commentary during the early stages of their careers. Following Sexton's retirement, there has been an intense debate over whether Leinster fly-half Prendergast or Munster's Crowley should become his long-term successor. Advertisement Sexton says both players have "the world at their feet", but the 39-year-old is dismayed by how their competitive rivalry has highlighted the "split" between Leinster and Munster fans. The former Ireland and Leinster captain experienced something similar at the start of his Test career when he battled Munster great Ronan O'Gara for the shirt. "One thing I disagree with is the narrative around it in terms of there's obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster and Leinster," said Sexton, who has worked with Prendergast and Crowley since November in his role as Ireland kicking coach. "I've been there before, I've been in that situation. With social getting bigger and bigger, it's tough on them at times. We should be supporting whoever is picked and getting fully behind them." Advertisement Sexton, who admitted his rivalry with O'Gara during the formative stages of his Test career was "tough", said he is not sure if Prendergast or Crowley have been affected by the online discourse. "Sometimes you can get a sense, but I'm not sure. All you can do is try to advise in terms of what worked for me," added the five-time Six Nations winner. "I was exposed to it a little bit at the very start and it's tough because as a kid, all you want to do is play for Ireland and then you do it and suddenly you're getting criticised, not all the time, but sometimes and you're like, 'wow, this is tougher than I thought it'd be', but it builds a resilience. "You find out who are your mates, who you can trust and those you can lean on. Going forward, they'll be stronger for it." Advertisement While Sexton feels Prendergast and Crowley deserve time to prove their worth, he believes they are already ahead of where he was at the same stage of his career. "The work ethic they have, they're humble guys," added Sexton, who will continue to work with Ireland's fly-halves in a full-time capacity after he completes his British and Irish Lions coaching duties this summer. "They want to learn and practice hard and that's the thing you look at the most as a coach; the attitude and how humble they are because ultimately that's what will stand to them going forward."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sexton told Ireland fly-halves to 'delete social media'
Johnny Sexton told Ireland fly-halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley to "delete social media" in order to guard themselves from online commentary during the early stages of their careers. Following Sexton's retirement, there has been an intense debate over whether Leinster fly-half Prendergast or Munster's Crowley should become his long-term successor. Advertisement Sexton says both players have "the world at their feet", but the 39-year-old is dismayed by how their competitive rivalry has highlighted the "split" between Leinster and Munster fans. The former Ireland and Leinster captain experienced something similar at the start of his Test career when he battled Munster great Ronan O'Gara for the shirt. "One thing I disagree with is the narrative around it in terms of there's obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster and Leinster," said Sexton, who has worked with Prendergast and Crowley since November in his role as Ireland kicking coach. "I've been there before, I've been in that situation. With social getting bigger and bigger, it's tough on them at times. We should be supporting whoever is picked and getting fully behind them." Advertisement Sexton, who admitted his rivalry with O'Gara during the formative stages of his Test career was "tough", said he is not sure if Prendergast or Crowley have been affected by the online discourse. "Sometimes you can get a sense, but I'm not sure. All you can do is try to advise in terms of what worked for me," added the five-time Six Nations winner. "I was exposed to it a little bit at the very start and it's tough because as a kid, all you want to do is play for Ireland and then you do it and suddenly you're getting criticised, not all the time, but sometimes and you're like, 'wow, this is tougher than I thought it'd be', but it builds a resilience. "You find out who are your mates, who you can trust and those you can lean on. Going forward, they'll be stronger for it." Advertisement While Sexton feels Prendergast and Crowley deserve time to prove their worth, he believes they are already ahead of where he was at the same stage of his career. "The work ethic they have, they're humble guys," added Sexton, who will continue to work with Ireland's fly-halves in a full-time capacity after he completes his British and Irish Lions coaching duties this summer. "They want to learn and practice hard and that's the thing you look at the most as a coach; the attitude and how humble they are because ultimately that's what will stand to them going forward."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Sexton told Ireland fly-halves to 'delete social media'
Johnny Sexton told Ireland fly-halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley to "delete social media" in order to guard themselves from online commentary during the early stages of their Sexton's retirement, there has been an intense debate over whether Leinster fly-half Prendergast or Munster's Crowley should become his long-term successor. Sexton says both players have "the world at their feet", but the 39-year-old is dismayed by how their competitive rivalry has highlighted the "split" between Leinster and Munster fans. The former Ireland and Leinster captain experienced something similar at the start of his Test career when he battled Munster great Ronan O'Gara for the shirt."One thing I disagree with is the narrative around it in terms of there's obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster and Leinster," said Sexton, who has worked with Prendergast and Crowley since November in his role as Ireland kicking coach. "I've been there before, I've been in that situation. With social getting bigger and bigger, it's tough on them at times. We should be supporting whoever is picked and getting fully behind them."Sexton, who admitted his rivalry with O'Gara during the formative stages of his Test career was "tough", said he is not sure if Prendergast or Crowley have been affected by the online discourse."Sometimes you can get a sense, but I'm not sure. All you can do is try to advise in terms of what worked for me," added the five-time Six Nations winner."I was exposed to it a little bit at the very start and it's tough because as a kid, all you want to do is play for Ireland and then you do it and suddenly you're getting criticised, not all the time, but sometimes and you're like, 'wow, this is tougher than I thought it'd be', but it builds a resilience. "You find out who are your mates, who you can trust and those you can lean on. Going forward, they'll be stronger for it."While Sexton feels Prendergast and Crowley deserve time to prove their worth, he believes they are already ahead of where he was at the same stage of his career."The work ethic they have, they're humble guys," added Sexton, who will continue to work with Ireland's fly-halves in a full-time capacity after he completes his British and Irish Lions coaching duties this summer."They want to learn and practice hard and that's the thing you look at the most as a coach; the attitude and how humble they are because ultimately that's what will stand to them going forward."
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Johnny Sexton offers drastic life advice to Sam Prendergast & Jack Crowley based off experience duelling Ronan O'Gara
JOHNNY SEXTON has advised Ireland's rival out-halves to get off social media. Sexton knows a thing or two about the level of scrutiny which comes from the territory, from his tussle with Ronan O'Gara for the no 10 shirt in the early part of his career. Advertisement 3 Sam Prendergast helped Leinster to secure victory in the URC Grand Final on Saturday 3 While Jack Crowley showed plenty of resolve in Munster's contentious penalty shootout loss to Sharks in the quarter-finals 3 Sexton is very well placed to offer them advice Credit: PA Now, the attention on Sam Prendergast, 22, and 25-year-old Jack Crowley - neither of whom made the Lions squad - has been amplified in the digital age. Sexton said: 'I've worked closely with them through the Six Nations and I've done a couple of sessions with them beyond the Six Nations. 'They're remarkable talents, huge futures ahead of them. 'The life of a 10 is up and down. No matter what player you look at over the years, they've had periods where they've been amazing, they've had periods when they've not been. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport 'They're just so young. You've got to give them a chance to learn and experience these things, but the level that they are producing already in their careers is amazing really. 'They're so far ahead of where I was and they've got the world at their feet with the work ethic that they have. 'They're humble guys, they do want to learn, they want to practise hard and that's the thing that you look at the most as a coach. 'One thing I disagree with is some of the narrative around it in terms of there's obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster-Leinster and I've been there before. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union 'I've been in that situation and with social media getting bigger and bigger it's tough on them at times and it shouldn't be like that. "We should be supporting whoever's picked and getting fully behind them. I told them to delete social media.' Inside Leinster's boozy celebrations as stars dance on team bus while leaving Croke Park as URC champs Sexton admitted he was unsure if they had followed his advice or if the criticism had got to them. He said: "I don't know. You can sometimes get a sense. I'm not sure. I really am not. Advertisement "All you can do is try and advise in terms of what worked for me. I was exposed to it a little bit at the very start and it's tough, isn't it? 'As a kid, as a seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old, all you want to do is play for Ireland and, when you do it, suddenly you're getting criticised. 'Not all the time but sometimes and it's kind of, 'wow, this is a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be' but it builds resilience. 'You find out who are your mates, who are those that you trust and who are those that you can lean on. I think they'll be stronger for it.' Advertisement
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Emphatic Leinster display delivers URC silverware as Bulls put to the sword at Croke Park
URC Grand Final: Leinster 32 Bulls 7 Redemption of a sort at last. Regrets, they'll have a few this off-season, but Leinster are champions again. Maybe it's not the title they most crave, but their first URC title per se is by some distance the pick of their nine successes in this competition's many iterations. What's more, having topped the table by eight clear points with 16 wins out of 18, and then negotiated two more knock-out ties, Leinster underlined the worthiness of this success by emphatically beating a South African superpower. Rarely have champions been so indisputable. In the process they exorcised a few demons and finished the season on what should be a hugely satisfying note. They and their supporters had the pleasure of doing so in front of a 46,127 crowd at Croke Park, the biggest attendance for an Irish final by eclipsing the 2018 decider when Leinster beat the Scarlets and last lifted silverware in front of a real, live, breathing, cheering home crowd. Leinster did so not just be reaffirming they have a more complete game than a Bulls team which they made look quite blunt with the intensity of their line speed and tackling on what was an important day in the Jacques Nienaber experiment. READ MORE They also dominated the air thanks to the brilliantly varied kicking game of Sam Prendergast, who gave another example of his mental strength as well as technical ability with a performance which had fire in his belly and ice in his veins. Luke McGrath, a late call-up, and James Lowe contributed to this varied kicking game, as did the chasing and competitiveness of Tommy O'Brien. The Lions such as Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan delivered handsomely, and so too in his typically influential all-round final outing did Jordie Barrett, and the bench had much the better impact, especially Rónan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani and RG Snyman. Josh van der Flier celebrates scoring Leinster's third try during the BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final against the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho But once again huge energy came from the others, not least Ryan Baird in his sixth 80-minute effort in a row since that Northampton heartbreak, full of oomph in his carries and his defence, as well as ultra reliable at lineout time. 'It's been a long time coming,' he told the crowd afterwards when admitting to being nervous all week. The Leinster scrum also took on the Bulls' point of difference and actually emerged in credit. This was a very complete victory which ought to quieten idle talk about Leinster's big-match mentality. Rumours had been rife in the couple of days before this game that some of Leinster's 10 named Lions would not make the kick-off, so it was not entirely surprising that Jamison Gibson-Park was confirmed as a late withdrawal. The other nine were fit and present, including eight starters, and McGrath is not exactly a green horn. Most likely McGrath had been running at 9 for much of the week's training anyway and however little others carrying knocks were able to do, Leinster exploded from the blocks. There was an expectant roar for the game's first scrum and an even bigger one when the Leinster pack gained the game's first penalty to earn an initial territorial foothold in what was a declaration of intent. Leinster's Tommy O'Brien challenges for the ball with Sebastian De Klerk of the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho When another penalty to the corner ensued and Sheehan hit Baird for a third time at the front in their opening three lineouts, the maul was held up. But Sheehan peeled off tellingly and Tommy O'Brien's decisive clearout paved the path for Conan to plough through one tackle and score. Also aware of the goalkicking and defensive issues which Prendergast brought into the game, there were roars after he executed a difficult conversion and then led the line to make his tackle on Harold Vorster. Leinster's defence and aerial game continued to win all the 50-50 moments. After Vorster needlessly conceded a penalty for pushing his hand into the face of a prone Joe McCarthy, Tommy O'Brien reclaimed McGrath's box kick and then Barrett made the call, and was already moving, when the scrumhalf chipped into space. Barrett then cleverly volleyed the bouncing ball first time over Willie le Roux and Tommy O'Brien permitted the departing All Black to win the touchdown for his seventh try in 15 games. Prendergast converted again to make it 14-0 inside 14 minutes. Josh van der Flier was making his presence felt everywhere, notably when driving back Jan-Hendrik Wessels and with another scrum penalty advantage, Prendergast spiralled a majestic 50-22 when playing with house money. Le Roux, who would have an abject day, riskily tried a cross-kick inside his own 22 and was fortunate to see Lowe knock on. Cue another bout of aerial ping-pong which Leinster again won, as Jimmy O'Brien countered. Leinster probed the blindside off the recycle, Conan making the carry and offload before Tommy O'Brien transferred quickly for Sheehan to make inroads along the touchline in his inimitable style. Leinster's Dan Sheehan fends off the challenge of Embrose Papier of the Bulls. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Somehow Marcell Coetzee was not yelled-carded when then coming in from the side to take out Tommy O'Brien but the penalty was tapped into the corner, Shehan hit McCarthy at the tail and Van der Flier emerged from the maul to score untouched. Prendergast missed that touchline conversion and two more attacks ended when he opted to kick before touch judge Mike Adamson appeared to miss Le Roux putting his standing foot on the touchline in his own 22. This effectively led to a Bulls attacking lineout when their fullback found grass to finally win an aerial duel. There followed two prolonged, close-range, multiphase Bulls attacks. But Van der Flier set the tone for the first with a chop tackle on Coetzee off a five-metre scrum, and Baird did likewise for the second when driving back the Bulls' number eight after a lineout drive five metres out. That attack and the first half ended with Le Roux floating a pass forward intended for Johan Grobbelaar on the edge, prompting an animated Prendergast to smack hands with a plethora of team-mates, while Baird cupped his ear to the crowd as Leinster jogged to the dressingroom 19-0 ahead, whereas the Bulls trudged off. On the resumption, more effective work off the ball by Barrett led to a penalty which Prendergast landed before the Bulls' blunt attack eventually delivered in the 51st minute. A scrum penalty to the corner led to replacement hooker Aker van der Merwe scoring off a close-range lineout. Johan Goosen converted and another scrum penalty seemed to confirm the momentum swing but Snyman's counter-ruck and Leinster's fringe line speed forced a turnover and with a scrum penalty advantage, both Prendergast and Snyman made inroads. Fintan Gunne scores a try despite the attempt of Willie le Roux to stop him. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The introduction of Kelleher and Slimani, soon after Snyman, proved telling, another scrum penalty leading to two close-range assaults on the Bulls' line. But two knock-ons, the first by Snyman, were compounded by Prendergast missing a kickable penalty. Even so, after Tommy O'Brien restored Leinster's aerial supremacy – alas Sebastian de Klerk injured his knee in the duel – with a strong power play off a lineout, Prendergast atoned to make it 25-7 before he and McGrath were replaced by Fintan Gunne and the departing Ross Byrne. Confirmation that this most definitely not Le Roux's day came with an unforced knock-on outside his own 22, prompting cheers when the double World Cup winner then irately kicked the ball off the pitch. To add to his frustration, from the ensuing scrum Gunne looped around a three-man attacking pod and took the expertly timed pull back from Byrne to beat Zak Burger on his outside and take Le Roux's tackle to score a fine try. That sealed the deal and there were also appreciative cheers when, fittingly, Byrne landed the conversion. The fans could breath a little easier and start the 'Lein-ster' chants, and soon after Conan – with a little help from the tracksuited duo of Caelan Doris and Cian Healy – could lift the trophy. At last. Cue a raucous lap of honour and party time. SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Conan try, Prendergast con 7-0; 14: Barrett try, Prendergast con 14-0; 22: van der Flier 19-0; ( half-time 19-0 ); 44: Prendergast pen 22-0; 51: Van der Merwe try, Goosen con 22-7; 68: Prendergast pen 25-7; 73: Gunne try, Byrne con 32-7. LEINSTER: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: RG Snyman for Ryan (42 mins); Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, Rabah Slimani for Clarkson (both 56); Fintan Gunne for McGrath, Ross Byrne for Prendergast (both 69), Jack Boyle for Porter, Max Deegan for Conan, Jamie Osborne for Ringrose (all 74). BULLS: Willie le Roux; Canon Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (capt), Marcell Coetzee. Replacements: Jannes Kirsten for Wiese (36 mins); Akker van der Merwe for Grobbelaar (45); Alulutho Tshakweni for Wessels (52); Mornay Smith for Louw, Nizaam Carr for Coetzee (both 65); Devon Williams for de Klerk (66), Keagan Johannes for Goosen (68), Zak Burger for Papier (71). Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR).
