Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Connacht captain Cian Prendergast.James Crombie/INPHO Prendergast amped up for Connacht's big day after Six Nations frustration ‘We’ve had some really good battles against Munster over the last few years.’ 8.40am, 28 Mar 2025 Share options IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT Cian Prendergast isn’t too keen to get into a major discussion of what happened in Cardiff and how he was denied his shot at a Six Nations debut for Ireland. Firstly, he has a huge Connacht game to focus on tomorrow against Munster at MacHale Park in Castlebar. Prendergast will lead the westerners out in front of their new record crowd on a massive occasion that is also a crucial URC game. But Prendergast seems reluctant to go into the ins and outs of that round three game in the Six Nations because it was so frustrating. He had been named on the Irish bench for what would have been his fifth cap and his first appearance in the championship. “I woke up Saturday morning with a vomiting bug,” says Prendergast of what happened on the day of the game. His younger brother, out-half Sam, was in the starting XV against Wales, so it would have been a special occasion for the Prendergast family. Cian and Sam played together for Ireland last autumn but a Six Nations game is even bigger. Advertisement “Yeah, that was the immediate thought,” says Cian, “that it was going to be such a special day for the family and that’s probably what killed me the most, but look…” Prendergast was proud that there were a few other Connacht representatives in the Ireland squad, as well as the A selection that took on England A last month, and despite his personal disappointment, he says it was another exciting window. “Being in camp is always enjoyable. Any time you’re up there, you’re extremely privileged. It was disappointing that we couldn’t get the result against France; it was disappointing for the lads who played. “Ultimately, it was really enjoyable but we would have liked to have won the Grand Slam. Prendergast was unlucky during the Six Nations.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO “It’s brilliant for players in here getting the recognition they deserve in terms of their performances for Connacht and then getting to learn up in camp and seeing what it’s like in camp, picking up bits of knowledge that they can bring back here.” Thoughts of Ireland are very much in the background now with Connacht on the eve of their outing in Mayo. Prendergast is honoured to be the captain for this sold-out clash in the 26,000-capacity MacHale Park. “It’s a massive privilege to get to do this in the first year that I’m captaining the side. It’s incredible,” he says. “I’ve amazing people around me so it’s not me captaining a side just by myself. I’ve Bladey [Caolin Blade] here beside me, Heff [Dave Heffernan], Joycey [Joe Joyce]. All those kinds of characters that really help. “We’re extremely privileged to be in this position to get to play in this game so it’s extremely exciting. Hopefully it kick-starts us into a really exciting end to the year.” It’s an important one in that sense given how tight the URC play-off race is. Munster are sixth on 34 points, while Connacht are 12th on 31. “Yeah, it’s mental and it was similar last year and we kinda fell off in a few games so that’s pushing us to really start performing at this end of the season,” says Prendergast. “We’ve had some really good battles against Munster over the last few years since I’ve been here and it’s an inter-pro. “Inter-pros are always exciting, they’re fun to play in, especially an inter-pro at home, with Castlebar being our home this week. You can’t not get excited about it.” Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Prendergast amped up for Connacht's big day after Six Nations frustration”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Prendergast amped up for Connacht's big day after Six Nations frustration”. 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