CAELAN DORIS has backed Sam Prendergast to rise to the occasion on his Six Nations debut tomorrow.
Leinster outhalf Prendergast has been selected ahead of Jack Crowley to steer Ireland as they kick off their hunt for a third Championship in a row against England.
It will just be the 21-year-old’s third cap, but Doris has no doubt that the Kildare man is ready having been bowled over by his performances with Leinster.
Ireland captain Doris said: “He’s shown his quality, first of all at 20s.
“Some of the stuff he was capable of doing back then caught the eye definitely and he’s probably had quite a big reputation from that.
“He’s carried through and shown his quality at URC, at European level and at international level in the autumn.
“It’s been a good ride for him and he’s a very confident guy and loves controlling the forwards, loves playing what’s in front of him so there’s a lot of faith in him.”
Doris also reckons that such a big encounter to kick off the Six Nations will not faze him, as Ireland also look for revenge for last year’s encounter when a loss denied them the Grand Slam.
He added: “It’s always the ultimate test coming up against these guys.
“There’s a rich history and a massive rivalry there over the last number of years.
“We’d had a pretty good run (last year), fourth round going in over there and there was a lot of belief, we also respected them massively and knew that there was a big performance brewing from them.
“We only have two home games this year and starting off here in Dublin against England it doesn’t get much better or bigger than this.
“For me growing up the Six Nations was such a big thing and I remember the games against England in particular so to be involved in one is very exciting.
“It would be incredibly special (to win a third Six Nations title in a row).
“It’s hard to cast your mind forward to that, given how big a game this is starting up.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, definitely, but we also realise that getting this weekend right is a crucial step if we want to go and do something special like that.”
