Sam Prendergast picks up with Leinster where he left off with Ireland

This will be the 21-year old’s first time wearing the No.10 jersey for a ‘European’ game. He has only three cameos in the competition to his credit, and just 23 games of senior rugby behind him. That includes his first three for Ireland last month.

Few players have been elevated so high so quickly as the man who finished the November Test window in prime position to be Ireland’s playmaker come the next Six Nations. His status as Leinster’s go-to guy is now unquestioned with this starting selection.

Ross Byrne will be his back-up off the bench - Harry Byrne does not make the matchday 23. Ciaran Frawley, the fourth man in this race, is at full-back what with Hugo Keenan out injured and Jordie Barrett just in the door at UCD.

Prendergast’s education has been intensive this season with two Leinster starts pre-November sandwiched by three with Emerging Ireland in South Africa and then those Test outings against Argentina, Fiji and Australia.

The question was to what extent his exposure and performances in green over the previous three weekends might have coloured the plans of a Leinster brains trust that has spoken about team selections that have been discussed over a month in advance.

"It's never straightforward with a young player,” said head coach Leo Cullen. “Sam is a young player, he's very talented. Not just him, you have to make sure the transition is smooth. With all these things, you have to be open-minded.

“When we finished the Lions game where Sam started, round six [of the URC], you're going into November where we've a couple of ‘A’ games and a game against Ulster, whereas there's four internationals.

"Listen, we've four 10s that can do a really good job for us. They're all internationals now. Sam wasn't an international four weeks ago, now he is. That's a different conversation in terms of his level of experience and exposure he's been through.”

Cullen was delighted with how Prendergast progressed through those three Tests: plugging in against the Pumas with the game in the balance, withstanding Fiji’s physicality, and then justifying the coaches’ faith when picked again against the Wallabies.

This is not, he confirmed, a selection that was cemented six weeks ago.

It was a contemplative head coach who was speaking a day on from the sad passing after a short illness of Dave Fagan who had been a strength and conditioning coach, and so much more, with the province and with Irish rugby for over 27 years.

The team trained in Energia Park in Donnybrook on Friday in memory of the man whose latter-day duties centred around its Ken Wall Centre of Excellence, and from where he ran his eye over the conveyor belt of young talent entering the system.

“It gives me goosebumps just thinking about him,” Cullen said.

Fagan was plugged into the circuit board that was the Leinster system. So is Cullen and you don’t need six degrees of separation to find a link between him and AJ MacGinty, the out-half who will be directing Pat Lam’s Bears in the West Country this weekend.

McGinty’s father Alan was principal of Blackrock College for over two decades until his retirement two years ago. Cullen was one of the many students to attend in that time and who benefited from his coaching. And AJ MacGinty walked those same halls.

Now 34, MacGinty’s career took him further from home: to America where he played club rugby and earned 40 Test caps with the Eagles, to Connacht with whom he won a PRO12 title, and then to England where he spent six years with Sale before joining Bristol in 2022.

Turns out he could well have ended up back on his own doorstep at one point.

“I remember seeing ‘AJ’ play in school, particularly when he played in Stradbrook, and he was a serious bloody player and (you thought) ‘how’s he been missed?’ But he went off to the States to study and came through the international arena.

“I remember talking about him at the time but because he was American it was very hard for Leinster to take him on here,” Cullen explained.

"I said: ‘We’ve got some Irish talent here and it’s hard for us to bring in an American ‘10’.

“He went across to Connacht with Pat [current Bristol coach Pat] and they’ve formed a very strong relationship."

It’s only six months since Connacht were hoping to sign Prendergast on loan for this season. There were plenty at the time who felt it was the perfect stepping stone for a man standing fourth in line in the queue at Leinster.

And look at him now.