London Irish look to build on last
season’s success
 London Irish
will be hoping to carry on from the success of last season when they begin
their Guinness Premiership campaign against Harlequins at Twickenham on
Sunday.
The Exiles finished third in the Premiership last term, reached the European
Challenge Cup final and qualified for the Heineken Cup for the first time
in their history.
Since the appointment of Brian Smith as director of Rugby last year the
Exiles have been transformed and the genial Smith believes this is due
to the more attacking rugby now played at the Madjeski Stadium.
Speaking to The Irish Post he said: “To change from the club with
the worst try-scoring record in the Premiership at the start of last season
to one with the best at the end was verging on the revolutionary,
“The players embraced an attack-orientated style of play and got
the reward they deserved. We want to build on that foundation during the
coming season.
“Last season we made a good start to our long-term plan to become
a real force in the game. We wanted to do that by playing not only good,
entertaining rugby but also winning rugby and I believe we proved that
the two are compatible.
“We are the first to realise that we are still in the early stages
of this particular journey but we are determined to carry on from where
we left off last May.”
A sign of the growing prestige attached to London Irish is that 17 of
their 38 senior players are full internationals with Smith believing that
the prospect of Heineken Cup Rugby has added to the attraction of playing
for the Exiles this season.
Much is expected from Aidan McMullen the burly Meathman joins from top
French outfit Toulouse and is a former Leinster player.
The 27-year-old will add valuable experience to the pack. Veteran England
international Mike Catt who seems to be improving with age provides plenty
of much needed guile in midfield while the club have unearthed a potential
star of the future in Topsy Ojo who many believe will win full England
caps this season.
There has been a steady increase in attendance at London Irish matches
since they moved to Reading six years ago with their support base no longer
confined to the Irish community in the capital but stretching to Rugby
fans of every hew all anxious to see Rugby of the highest quality.
So with attendances up, some talented new faces complimenting the skills
of the Exiles old warriors and a confident mood in the camp, it looks
like being another successful season for London Irish. |
