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03 Feb 2026
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03 Feb 2026
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Sam Prendergast of Leinster and Cian Prendergast of Connacht leave the pitch after the URC match between Leinster and Connacht at Aviva Stadium, Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Suncroft pair Sam and Cian Prendergast have both been named to start for Ireland against France for their Guinness Men's Six Nations opener this Thursday, February 5 in Paris. The brothers are two of five Kildare men in the starting lineup for an 8:10pm kick-off (Irish time), along with Naas' Jamie Osborne, Eadestown's Tadhg Beirne and Athy's Jeremy Loughman.
The five players anmed represent the full Kildare contingent in Andy Farrell's squad with more representatives from The Short Grass county than Munster set to take to the field from the start in the Stade de France.
15. Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(10)
14. Tommy O’Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster)(6)
13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(69)
12. Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(23)
11. Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(40)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(13)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(46)
1. Jeremy Loughman (Garryowen/Munster)(5)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(35)
3. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster)(10)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(19)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(65)
6. Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(8)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(75)
8. Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)(55)(captain)
Replacements:
16. Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(43)
17. Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)(2)
18. Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(54)
19. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(76)
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(55)
21. Nick Timoney (Queen’s University/Ulster)(6)
22. Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(24)
23. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(30).
Andy Farrell said: “I’ve been pleased with the application of the squad since we linked up last week and we’ve a good body of work under our belts from our training camp in Portugal as we face into an exciting test match against France. The Six Nations is an amazing tournament to compete in and it brings out the best in players.
“We have played at the Stade de France many times and it’s a terrific stadium with an incredible atmosphere. We know from our experiences on the road how proud and vocal the travelling Irish support can be and it’s a huge motivator for the squad knowing that we have so many Irish supporters behind us.”
Thursday’s match is live on Virgin Media One and ITV with live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1.
READ NEXT: Kildare boss praises 'incredible' young guns after Offaly win
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