The starting fly-half from the 2021 British and Irish Lions series, Dan Biggar, has named the player who he thinks will succeed him in 2025.
Biggar started all three Tests against the Springboks but he will not be touring this year after retiring from international rugby in 2023.
Scotland’s Finn Russell, who replaced the Welshman in the final match of the 2021 series, is the favourite, but the shirt remains very much up for grabs.
The 35-year-old has Russell as one of the leading contenders for the jersey in Australia, alongside Marcus Smith and Sam Prendergast.
He also namechecked English trio Fin Smith, Owen Farrell and George Ford as options Andy Farrell could consider, as well as Ireland back-up Jack Crowley, but Biggar’s prediction is that Prendergast will get the nod.
‘Assured’ and ‘positive’
“If you were picking the team tomorrow, I would pick Finn Russell for his all-round game, experience and form since the last Lions tour,” he said on The Rugby Pod.
“But I think, and this is a big statement, Sam Prendergast will start in that first Test of the Lions series against the Wallabies.
“I’m saying that because I think Ireland are going to win the Six Nations – potentially the Grand Slam – and I think that Leinster are going to be right there or thereabouts in the URC in big matches, and potentially in Europe.
“I’ve just been really impressed with how he’s taken to international rugby. He looks assured, he looks positive and for me in a Lions year it’s not really about who’s got the best reputation or who’s got the best skill set, it’s all about who’s playing the best rugby.
“I believe that Sam Prendergast is going to be involved in big, big games and I think he’s going to get better and better and better.”
With Prendergast starting at fly-half, Ireland have won three successive matches so far in the Six Nations, but arguably their toughest test awaits in Round Four.
If the young fly-half can shine in that clash against France and then have a positive end to the season with Leinster, Biggar claims that the jersey is his to lose.
“I do think for Sam Prendergast to start in that British and Irish Lions first Test against the Wallabies, he has to be really successful over the next couple of months,” he said.
“If that’s not the case, you’ve got the ability to fall back to a world-class operator and a guy who’s probably got the best all-round game out of everybody in Finn Russell.
“If Sam Prendergast guides Ireland to a Six Nations title or a Grand Slam, guides Leinster to a first trophy in quite a few years, it’s very difficult to look past him.”
Place-kicking decisive
One of Prendergast’s strengths has been his place-kicking and, unlike in the Lions’ 2013 victory over the Wallabies, it will need to be a crucial part of the fly-half’s armoury.
“The one thing that could be a real deal-breaker on selection is the goal-kicking side of things. This Lions tour isn’t going to be one like 2013 where you’ve got a Leigh Halfpenny who’s absolutely metronomic,” Biggar added.
“You could just say to the 10, who was Johnny Sexton, ‘go and run our team, go and run our attacking shape, go and run our exit. Don’t get stressed about your goal-kicking or the extra pressure that brings with it’.
“It’s similar to what France have got at the minute with [Romain] Ntamack. He’s just got the ability to play his game without any pressure because he knows he’s got probably the best goal-kicker in the world in Thomas Ramos.
“All those guys have got to be the ones that run the game, make the tackles, bring people into play, sort everything out but also kick the goals as well. This could well be the deal-breaker in selection.
“If you’re Andy Farrell and you’re in a coaching selection meeting and you’re thinking it’s a 50/50 call between a Russell, a Marcus Smith, a Prendergast, you’re going to want the guy that has got the best kicking stats and the guy who you think is going to nail those kicks.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/dan-biggar-makes-big-statement-over-starting-lions-fly-half-and-predicts-what-will-be-the-deal-breaker-for-andy-farrell
