Farrell, Erasmus talk down Irish flyhalf Prendergast's tackling weakness

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has weighed in on his Irish counterpart Andy Farrell’s controversial selection of flyhalf for Saturday’s crunch clash in Dublin.

Young Leinster flyhalf Sam Prendergast started in Ireland’s emphatic win over Australia, taking over from Munster’s Jack Crowley, who had worn the No 10 jersey during Ireland's underwhelming performances against New Zealand and Japan.

The concern with Prendergast lies in his occasionally fragile defence, which the Wallabies exploited despite their 46-19 defeat. On one occasion, imposing centre Len Ikitau powered through the 22-year-old to score a try. Irish supporters now fear the merciless Springboks will target the Prendergast channel.

Farrell faced pointed questions at his team announcement press conference about the perceived gamble in selecting Prendergast over the defensively solid Crowley.

“This question keeps popping up, but I think Sam's ability as a flyhalf far outweighs a work-on within his game,” Farrell said.

“I thought he was tremendous last week, his skill set has been fantastic for all to see, and I think everyone needs to look through a little bit of a work-on because everyone’s got work-ons, and will continue to have work-ons throughout. It is up to us as coaches and the rest of the players to keep on working on them.”

The Irish coach, clearly irritated, added: “These questions about Sam are loaded. We constantly talk to individuals about all aspects of their play, including seasoned stars, so to think that we’re just focusing on one aspect of one player is not right.”

Erasmus, when asked by the Irish media about Prendergast’s defensive frailties, declined to be drawn into a critique.

“He's a big fellow, it looks like he always wants the ball in his hands, and he’s got guts,” Erasmus said. “People are talking about his tackling, that there’s maybe a weakness there, but I’ve seen him go really hard. He’s a big boy, and he looks pretty fit. I read a bit about his background. I think he’s got a toughness about him.”

Farrell, meanwhile, shifted focus to the Springboks, acknowledging that Ireland face their sternest test of the season.

“We’ve been talking a lot about resilience within our game over the last 18 months, and there have been lessons along the way,” he said. “That resilience will get tested to the full this weekend. So I don’t think we're just learning about individuals. We’re learning about our game and how we're going to progress over the next couple of years.”

The Irish coach emphasised the need to match the Springboks’ famed physicality.

“Matching them in that department has to be a given, because if you don’t show up with that frame of mind, you’re on the backward step straight away,” Farrell said. “It is an absolute given in any single Test match, that’s for sure.

"However, it is certainly highlighted even more against the best team in the world. What is part of their DNA has continued to be part of their DNA throughout, and it’s only getting better in their collision work and their carrying in the contact areas.

"If you don’t turn up in that regard, you’re in for a tough afternoon.”