Farrell, Erasmus talk down Irish flyhalf Prendergast's tackling weakness

SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus has weighed in on his Irish counterpart Andy Farrell's controversial selection of flyhalf for today's crunch clash in Dublin.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Young Leinster flyhalf Sam Prendergast started in Ireland's emphatic win over Australia, taking over from Munster's Jack Crowley, who had worn the No 10 jersey during Ireland's underwhelming performances against New Zealand and Japan.

The concern with Prendergast lies in his occasionally fragile defence, which the Wallabies exploited despite their 46-19 defeat. On one occasion, imposing centre Len Ikitau powered through the 22-year-old to score a try. Irish supporters now fear the merciless Springboks will target the Prendergast channel.

Farrell faced pointed questions at his team announcement press conference about the perceived gamble in selecting Prendergast over the defensively solid Crowley.

"This question keeps popping up, but I think Sam's ability as a flyhalf far outweighs a work-on within his game," Farrell said.