| Cian Prendergast | |
| Birth Date: | 23 February 2000 |
| Birth Place: | Kildare, Ireland |
| Height: | 1.960NaN0 |
| Weight: | 1120NaN0 |
| School: | Newbridge College |
| Relatives: | Sam Prendergast (brother) |
| Position: | Flanker, Lock |
| Currentclub: | Connacht |
| Years1: | 2020– |
| Clubs1: | Connacht |
| Apps1: | 65 |
| Points1: | 65 |
| Repyears1: | 2020 |
| Repteam1: | Ireland U20 |
| Repcaps1: | 2 |
| Reppoints1: | 0 |
| Repyears2: | 2022– |
| Repteam2: | Ireland |
| Repcaps2: | 4 |
| Reppoints2: | 0 |
| Repyears3: | 2022 |
| Repteam3: | Ireland Wolfhounds |
| Repcaps3: | 1 |
| Reppoints3: | 0 |
| Clubupdate: | 14 April 2024 |
| Repupdate: | 23 November 2024 |
Cian Prendergast (born 23 February 2000) is an Irish professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Connacht and the Ireland national team.[1]
Prendergast grew up in County Kildare and began playing rugby with Newbridge RFC (Ireland) at mini's level. He attended Newbridge College and captained both his school's Senior Cup team and the Leinster schools team in 2018. He also played Gaelic football for Suncroft.
He had hoped to play for Leinster but was told in April 2020 that there would be no place for him in the academy. Days after this announcement he was contacted by Connacht coach Eric Elwood.[2]
He has a younger brother Sam Prendergast, who is currently playing for Leinster and previously for the Ireland U20 Six Nations Team.
Prendergast joined the Connacht academy in summer 2020.[3] The following October he made his senior debut in Round 3 of the 2020–21 Pro14 against Edinburgh.[4] In March 2021, Connacht announced that he had signed a professional contract with the club.[5] In May 2022, and with one year on his deal still to run, Connacht announced a new longer term contract to keep him at the club until 2025.[6] In advance of the 2024/25 season, Prendergast was named club captain.[7]
Prendergast was included as a development player in the Irish squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship.[8]
In June 2022, he was included in the Ireland squad for the 2022 tour of New Zealand.[9] In November 2022, Prendergast was named on the bench and subsequently gained his first full cap in a test victory against Fiji.[10] [11]
In January 2023 he was named in Ireland's squad for the Six Nations. The following August Prendergast won his second cap off the bench against Italy and was then selected for his first international start at number eight against England.[12]
He was controversially left out of the 2024 Men's Six Nations squad,[13] while there isn't a confirmed reason for this, its likely the inclusion of Ulster flanker Nick Timoney in the squad is what meant Prendergast missed selection. Despite him being capped in 2022, and then starting for Ireland last year against England in the 2023 Summer Nations Series.[14]
In November 2024, he came on as a replacement in Ireland's 52-17 win against Fiji in the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. His brother was also on the pitch at the time, making his first start at fly half making this the first time the two had played together at the same time at international level.[15]