Cian Prendergast

Cian Prendergast (born 23 February 2000) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Connacht and the Ireland national team.

Early life
Prendergast grew up in County Kildare and began playing rugby with Newbridge RFC (Ireland) at mini's level. He attended Newbridge College and captained both his school's Senior Cup team and the Leinster schools team in 2018. He also played Gaelic football for Suncroft.

He has a younger brother Sam Prendergast, who is currently playing for Leinster Rugby and previously for the Ireland U20 Six Nations Team.

Connacht
Prendergast joined the Connacht academy in summer 2020. The following October he made his senior debut in Round 3 of the 2020–21 Pro14 against Edinburgh. In March 2021, Connacht announced that he had signed a professional contract with the club. In May 2022, and with one year on his deal still to run, Connacht announced a new longer term contract to keep him at the club until 2025.

Ireland
Prendergast was included as a development player in the Irish squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship.

In June 2022, he was included in the Ireland squad for the 2022 tour of New Zealand. In November 2022, Prendergast was named on the bench and subsequently gained his first full cap in a test victory against Fiji.

In January 2023 he was named in Ireland's squad for the Six Nations. The following August Prendergast won his second cap off the bench against Italy and was then selected for his first international start at number eight against England.

He was controversially left out of the 2024 Men's Six Nations squad, while there isn't a confirmed reason for this, its likely the inclusion of Ulster flanker Nick Timoney in the squad is what meant Prendergast missed selection. Despite him being capped in 2022, and then starting for Ireland last year against England in the 2023 Summer Nations Series.