Connacht captain Cian Prendergast and his younger brother Sam are expected to go head-to-head when Connacht host Leinster on Saturday for the opening of the new Dexcom Stadium.
However, the 25-year-old Connacht man, who is now fully behind the west of Ireland, says it is an “incredible privilege” to face each other on the same pitch.
“We’ve been dreaming about this stuff since we were kids, and to get to play each other on occasions like this is an incredible privilege.
“Whether he's playing or not, I honestly don't know so, and he doesn't know if I'm playing, but to be able to compete with your brother at the highest level is something we'll never take for granted.”
Prendergast says this fixture against Leinster to celebrate Dexcom’s opening is about “bringing the stadium to life with our performance”.
“What truly makes it special is how we play and how we embody the west of Ireland, and give the Connacht fans a team they want to support and they want to get behind, and show them a glimpse into what the new Clan Stand is going to be like with our performance,” he says.
“It is going to be amazing. Everyone has had this game circled in their calendars for about two years now."
Connacht’s big match played in Castlebar last season has been seen as a preview for this fixture, and Prendergast says it was a learning curve with lessons learned.
“I think because it was an occasion, we expected in Castlebar that it would bring it out of us. But it's about how we process the week, constantly reinforcing the privilege and the responsibility we have to the west of Ireland to deliver a performance.
“The way Leinster have played over the last couple of years, they test you in all those nuts and bolts of the game - whether it is set-piece, the collision, or the breakdown. All those kind of confrontational areas of the game is where they're going to test us, so as a pack, it's kind of a responsibility on us to deliver that.”
Despite some poor results this season, which are “never acceptable”, Prendergast says it is about building on what Connacht do well.
“We’re seeing things that we're doing right, and it's just building on it and stacking the good things on top of each other, and stacking the good days, stacking the good training days. And then we know that we're getting fitter. We know our game plan is starting to get embedded. It's starting to become second nature. So we're all confident in what we do, and we're just ready to rip in on Saturday.”
One major influence on Saturday evening is of course the new Clan Stand.
“There's nothing like the Clan Stand when an interpro is happening, and we get rolling, and you're seeing a team that fights. And off the back of that, we can start playing our kind of rugby, and I'm sure the supporters are going to bring it 10 times over on this occasion, like I'm buzzing for it.”
With brother Sam playing for Leinster, Prendergast admits the two have had little contact during the week.
“To be honest, there's not much said. I think at the start of the week, we just wish each other the best of luck. And then it's onto business because it's a weird one. You kind of have to separate the family nature with the competitive side of it. So we wouldn't be in much contact these kind of weeks.”
The brothers’ parents will also be in Dexcom on Saturday to cheer them on. But who will they be supporting?
“They're Connacht fans,” he says.
