Sam relishing return to RDS

Following an absence of more than two years, Suncroft’s Sam Prendergast was delighted to be back at the RDS Arena on Saturday evening.

Due to extensive redevelopment of the ground, Leinster have used the Aviva Stadium rather than the RDS for the majority of their home games in the past two seasons across the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup.

As a result, Leinster hadn’t played a competitive fixture at the RDS since May 31, 2024, when Prendergast came up against his older brother Cian in a URC interprovincial clash with Connacht. There was a pre-season friendly with Zebre held there last month when head coach Leo Cullen selected a side that was shorn of international stars, but it was a completely different scenario on the weekend just gone.

Now known as the Laya Arena, the Ballsbridge venue played host to a United Rugby Championship round two duel between Leinster and Cardiff on Saturday with the increased capacity of 20,600 proving worthwhile as the eastern province earned a 29-5 victory in front of a sell-out crowd.

“It’s mad what 20,000 feels like here compared to the Aviva. My first experience playing for Leinster was here and it was cool. Every game was pretty much a sell-out and it’s just really cool having the fans on top of you. There’s a really good sense of atmosphere within the ground,” Prendergast remarked in the media room after Saturday’s game.

“There has been a serious buzz for the last number of months about getting back and everyone was looking forward to playing in front of that crowd. We kind of knew it was going to be a sell-out and then as soon as we walked in off the bus, you could feel the buzz. Then when we came out before kick-off was pretty special as well.” 

It has been well documented that Prendergast endured his fair share of highs and lows in the past couple of years with the second half of last season seeing him losing his out-half spot midway through Ireland’s Six Nations Championship campaign and also missing out on the match day 23 for Leinster’s Champions Cup final showdown with Bordeaux Begles.

Yet he subsequently forced his way back into the reckoning for the knockout rounds of the URC and delivered a man of the match performance in their final triumph over the Bulls at Croke Park. He went on to play twice for Ireland in the Nations Championship Southern Hemisphere Series during the summer and following an impressive cameo against the Sharks in Durban seven days earlier, he was also named man of the match on his first start of the season on Saturday.

In addition to admitting he wasn’t always at his best in 2025/26, Prendergast offered an insight into how he is approaching the current campaign.

“Last season was a mixed bag. It was a lot of in and out, and I probably wasn’t playing great. It was nice to finish the season strong. Then the summer tour was just a mixed bag in terms of everything personal and team wise. I thought it was quite motivating when all the internationals came back in [for Leinster] and you see how hard everyone else is working.

“Then you see the pre-season performances. The lads went away to Lyon, quite a stacked Lyon team, and did very well. They beat Zebre well here and then over in South Africa I thought they were brilliant. It was a bit of a ‘okay, let’s go’ as in all the lads who have been behind, who weren’t in international camp, are really upping their game here. So we’ve got to do the same.” 

Now that he is fully up and running for the new season, Prendergast will be looking to make the cut for the big games that both Leinster and Ireland are set to play in the coming weeks and months.

Next up in that regard is an away trip this Saturday to face ASM Clermont Auvergne in their opening pool game in the latest edition of the European Champions Cup.

Clermont have started 2026/27 with four defeats from six in the Top 14 – including a one-point reversal to European champions Bordeaux Begles last weekend – but Prendergast is expecting a tough challenge on his latest trip to France for a club encounter.

“I’ve played a few games over there. I’ve limited experience over there, but it’s always pretty hostile. It’s also very cool, but it’s always hard. I remember Bayonne last year was exceptionally difficult, La Rochelle the year before was very difficult,” Prendergast added.

“It’s never easy over in France and it won’t be easy over there. Leinster and Clermont have a lot of history. It’s a really exciting week for us and from the chat in the dressing room, we’re really looking forward to it.”