Full name | London Irish Rugby Football Club | |
---|---|---|
Union | Middlesex RFU, Surrey RFU, Irish RFU | |
Nickname(s) | The Exiles, The Drummers | |
Founded | 1898 | |
Chairman | Kieran McCarthy | |
CEO | Adrian Alli | |
President | Mick Crossan | |
Most appearances | Topsy Ojo (301) | |
Top scorer | Barry Everitt (1,234) | |
Most tries | Topsy Ojo (46) | |
2022–23 | Premiership, 5th | |
Official website | ||
www |
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club, currently in administration, which competed in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club had also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While playing in the Championship in 2016–17 and 2018–19, it also played in the British and Irish Cup and RFU Championship Cup. The club played home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire for twenty years, before moving for the 2020–21 season to the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London.
In the 2022–23 season, London Irish encountered financial difficulty and were issued a winding-up order by HMRC over an unpaid tax demand. To avoid suspension from the Premiership, the RFU issued a deadline for the club to provide financial assurances that they could continue paying players and staff. London Irish missed this deadline and were consequently excluded from competing in 2023–24 season – not only in the Premiership but in all professional tiers of Rugby Union in England. [1]
The club was founded in 1898 following the creation of London Scottish and London Welsh for the same reason, allowing Irishmen the chance to play rugby with fellow countrymen in the English capital.
London Irish won their only major trophy, the Powergen Cup, in 2002 and reached the 2009 Premiership final, losing 10–9 to Leicester Tigers. [2] In the 2007–08 season, the team came close to a place in the Heineken Cup Final, losing out to Stade Toulousain 15–21 in the semi-final. [3]
London Irish was the last club to be formed in England by working and student exiles from the home countries, following London Scottish in 1878 and London Welsh in 1885. The first game took place on 1 October 1898 against the former Hammersmith club at Herne Hill Athletic Ground, with London Irish winning 8–3. The team that season benefited from the early recruitment of vet and Irish international Louis Magee. [4] He became essential in the early years of the club along with club captain R.S Dyas in putting the team on the map and having regular fixtures between other London-based teams.
The turn of the new century was a great time for London Irish with the club firmly solidified in the London club roster but these would be some of the last years of normality for the team. With the commencement of World War I, many of the players enlisted with Irish Battalions in their homeland for deployment in mainland Europe. In 1916, following the Easter Rising, a number of remaining players and members returned to Ireland to fight in the independence struggle; many did not return. It is unknown exactly how many with a connection to the club were lost. Following the formation of the Irish Free State in 1923, some of those who fought in Europe and/or Ireland returned to the club, which saw an overhaul of the organisation over the remainder of the decade, reviving the team and its influence for a new beginning.
In the years that followed, Irish made strides in playing competition outside of Greater London with matches against teams such as Leicester and Cardiff. This, however, was short-lived with the commencement of World War II and players and members again being dispersed across the continent, many of whom elected not to return following the end of the war. Nine of the players who participated in the 1938–39 season died in the conflict. The club's then playing ground located in Sunbury-on-Thames was acquired by Ministry for Agriculture to be used as a site to grow food for the war-torn capital. Because of the state of the playing field after the war, games were temporarily held at Rectory Field in Blackheath.
The post-war era got off to a rocky beginning. Player numbers weren't what they used to be as former members elected not to move back to London and this made it difficult to front a starting XV. The year that followed saw the Winter of 1946, one of the coldest winters on record in the United Kingdom. Rectory Field was frozen for most of the winter meaning Irish missed matches in the season. Things picked up with the arrival of a new captain, Des O'Brien, and a number of other key players and in 1948 London Irish celebrated their 50th anniversary with the most successful season yet for the club.
In the 1950s the club thrived, fielding teams most weeks, and in 1951 they became the first club to host touring Italian team Roma. On 9 September 1959, Irish returned to Sunbury and had a place to call home, which was dubbed The Avenue . They achieved a record-breaking season, remaining unbeaten.
Results in the 1960s were mixed, with many good wins but also a number of defeats. Fixtures improved and the club played against many famous teams, which changed the attitude of the training and playing and, in the 70s, London Irish became a force to be reckoned with, finishing first in the London Division of the Rugby Football Union in the 1976–77 season. Pre-season tours became popular and in 1977, the London Irish made history in South Africa when they became the first touring side to play a host of mixed-race teams.
Since the professional era began in August 1995, London Irish has only lifted one piece of major silverware, winning the Powergen Cup in 2002 in a match against Northampton at Twickenham that saw the club win 38–7. Some 75,000 people attended the match, seeing the Exiles win in what is regarded as one of the most successful days in the club's history. London Irish enjoyed success in Europe in 2005–06 when they reached the final of the Challenge Cup, only to be defeated by Gloucester 36–34 at Twickenham.
In 2013, Irish were taken over by a consortium led by Mick Crossan, executive chairman of Powerday, a London-based recycling and waste management firm. Powerday would go on to be one of the club's main sponsors.
In early May 2023, the RFU sought clarification from London Irish about why the club's players and staff had not yet been paid for April 2023. [5] On 15 May the RFU gave the club a 30 May deadline to sell the club to new owners, and indicated the club would be suspended from the Premiership if they were not satisfied the club had sufficient funding. [6] Two weeks later, the RFU extended the deadline until 6 June. [7]
On 2 June 2023, London Irish received winding up petitions from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an unpaid tax bill believed to be up to £1 million, which saw them forced out of business. [8] [9]
London Irish managed their own academy, with players such as Tom Homer, Nick Kennedy, Topsy Ojo, Anthony Watson, brothers Delon and Guy Armitage, Alex Corbisiero and Jonathan Joseph having gone on to play for the senior side and be internationally capped. Ojo retired at the end of the 2018–19 season having made 301 appearances for the club.
From the 2020–21 season, London Irish played at the Gtech Community Stadium, in Brentford, Greater London. The stadium is owned by Brentford F.C. who also play their home games there. The ground is a 17,250-capacity all-seater stadium that opened in 2020.
Prior to 2020, London Irish played at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire for twenty seasons between 2000 and March 2020 when the 2019–20 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to delays owing to the pandemic, Brentford Stadium was running behind its scheduled opening date. Irish made the decision to play their remaining games when possible at Harlequin's Twickenham Stoop as they could not return to Reading. The Exiles had previously played at The Stoop in the 1999–2000 season before moving to the Madejski Stadium.
The largest crowd for a London Irish match was for a game against London Wasps on 15 March 2008 during the 2007–08 season. The crowd of 23,790 was also the highest attendance for a regular season Premiership Rugby match until December 2008. [10]
On 12 March 2016, London Irish played their first home Premiership match abroad, and also the first-ever Premiership match outside England, when they travelled to the United States to face Saracens at the New York Red Bulls' Red Bull Arena in the New York metropolitan area. [11]
On 15 August 2016, the club announced its intention to return to London and that it was in formal discussions with Hounslow London Borough Council to play at Brentford's new stadium. [12] On 10 February 2017, the club confirmed that the council had approved its application to use the stadium for rugby, effectively allowing it to move into the new stadium from its opening season. [13] This was later confirmed. [14]
The club's training ground and offices were located at the Hazelwood Centre, which is located in the west of the city in Sunbury-on-Thames. The facility was opened in 2014 following the closure of The Avenue and is also used by NFL teams during the NFL International Series as a training facility.
The club also hosts London Irish Amateur RFC (a separate legal entity) for non-professionals to allow them to improve in rugby. The team plays at the location of London Irish's training ground and offices, Hazelwood in Sunbury. Some players such as Justin Bishop and Kieran Campbell have gone through the ranks to play for the London Irish professional team. [15]
Digger is an Irish wolfhound and the official mascot of London Irish.
In 2003, Digger won the "Best Mascot" award in Premiership Rugby at the Premier Rugby Marketing Awards. [16]
On 23 April 2006, Digger ran the London Marathon raising money for spinal research. He finished the marathon in a time of 6 hours 39 minutes 31 seconds. [17]
Digger was joined by his cousin, Duggie, from the 2006–07 season. Much taller and much slower, Duggie has proved popular with younger children attending matchdays. As well as the mascot characters, there is also a real Irish wolfhound, Mr Doyle, who also attends the home games. Prior to Mr Doyle, his great uncle, Jumbo, attended home games before his retirement.
London Irish have rivalries in the Greater London area, mainly with Harlequins and Saracens, with whom they are now, thanks to Irish moving back to West London, able to have local derbies. Gtech Community Stadium's location makes it less than two miles to the Twickenham Stoop. They also maintain a friendly rivalry with fellow exiles London Scottish.
League | Domestic Cup | European Cup | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Competition | Final Position | Points | Play-Offs | Competition | Performance | Competition | Performance |
1987–88 | Courage League Division 2 | 8th | 24 | N/A | John Player Cup | 3rd round | No competition | N/A |
1988–89 | Courage League Division 2 | 6th | 12 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 4th round | ||
1989–90 | Courage League Division 2 | 5th | 12 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 2nd round | ||
1990–91 | Courage League Division 2 | 2nd (P) | 19 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | Quarter-final | ||
1991–92 | Courage League Division 1 | 9th | 9 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 3rd round | ||
1992–93 | Courage League Division 1 | 7th | 12 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 3rd round | ||
1993–94 | Courage League Division 1 | 9th (R) | 8 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 5th round | ||
1994–95 | Courage League Division 2 | 5th | 18 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 5th round | ||
1995–96 | Courage League Division 2 | 2nd (P) | 30 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | Semi-final | No English teams | N/A |
1996–97 | Courage League Division 1 | 10th | 12 | N/A | Pilkington Cup | 4th round | Challenge Cup | 6th in pool |
1997–98 | Allied Dunbar Premiership | 11th | 12 | N/A | Tetley's Bitter Cup | Quarter-final | Challenge Cup | 2nd in pool |
1998–99 | Allied Dunbar Premiership | 7th | 30 | N/A | Tetley's Bitter Cup | Quarter-final | No English teams | N/A |
1999–00 | Allied Dunbar Premiership | 8th | 25 | N/A | Tetley's Bitter Cup | Semi-final | Challenge Cup | Semi-final |
2000–01 | Zurich Premiership | 8th | 45 | N/A | Tetley's Bitter Cup | Quarter-final | Challenge Cup | 1st in pool* |
2001–02 | Zurich Premiership | 4th | 57 | N/A | Powergen Cup | Champions | Challenge Cup | Semi-final |
2002–03 | Zurich Premiership | 9th | 40 | – | Powergen Cup | Semi-final | Heineken Cup | 2nd in pool |
2003–04 | Zurich Premiership | 8th | 49 | – | Powergen Cup | Quarter-final | Challenge Cup | 2nd round |
2004–05 | Zurich Premiership | 10th | 40 | – | Powergen Cup | Semi-final | Challenge Cup | 2nd round |
2005–06 | Guinness Premiership | 3rd | 66 | Semi-final | Powergen Cup | 3rd in pool | Challenge Cup | Runners-up |
2006–07 | Guinness Premiership | 6th | 53 | – | EDF Energy Cup | 2nd in pool | Heineken Cup | 4th in pool |
2007–08 | Guinness Premiership | 7th | 59 | – | EDF Energy Cup | 3rd in pool | Heineken Cup | Semi-final |
2008–09 | Guinness Premiership | 3rd | 66 | Runners-up | EDF Energy Cup | 2nd in pool | Challenge Cup | Quarter-final |
2009–10 | Guinness Premiership | 6th | 52 | – | LV= Cup | 3rd in pool | Heineken Cup | 3rd in pool |
2010–11 | Aviva Premiership | 6th | 54 | – | LV= Cup | 3rd in pool | Heineken Cup | 4th in pool |
2011–12 | Aviva Premiership | 7th | 46 | – | LV= Cup | 2nd in pool | Heineken Cup | 4th in pool |
2012–13 | Aviva Premiership | 9th | 35 | – | LV= Cup | 2nd in pool | Challenge Cup | 2nd in pool |
2013–14 | Aviva Premiership | 10th | 36 | – | LV= Cup | 3rd in pool | Challenge Cup | 2nd in pool |
2014–15 | Aviva Premiership | 10th | 40 | – | LV= Cup | 4th in pool | Challenge Cup | Quarter-final |
2015–16 | Aviva Premiership | 12th (R) | 20 | – | No competition | N/A | Challenge Cup | Quarter-final |
2016–17 | Greene King IPA Championship | 1st (P) | 91 | Champions | British and Irish Cup | Semi-final | Not qualified | N/A |
2017–18 | Aviva Premiership | 12th (R) | 22 | – | Anglo-Welsh Cup | 2nd in pool | Challenge Cup | 3rd in pool |
2018–19 | Greene King IPA Championship | 1st (P) | 99 | Champions | Championship Cup | Runners-up | Not qualified | N/A |
2019–20 | Gallagher Premiership | 10th | 34 | – | Premiership Cup | 3rd in pool | Challenge Cup | 4th in pool |
2020–21 | Gallagher Premiership | 9th | 48 | – | No competition | N/A | Challenge Cup | Quarter-final |
2021–22 | Gallagher Premiership | 8th | 63 | – | Premiership Cup | Runners-up | Challenge Cup | Quarter-final |
2022–23 | Gallagher Premiership | 5th | 55 | – | Premiership Cup | Runners-up | Heineken Cup | Round of 16 |
Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated
* Finished first in pool but did not progress to the quarter-final. Their place was taken by Brive [18] [19]
The following are players who have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup whilst being registered with London Irish:
Tournament | Players selected | England players | Other national team players |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | 7 | Malcolm O'Kelly , Kieron Dawson , Justin Bishop , Conor O'Shea , Julian Loveday , Isaac Fe'aunati , Stephen Bachop | |
2003 | 0 | ||
2007 | 7 | Peter Richards, Mike Catt | Olivier Magne , Juan Manuel Leguizamón , Gonzalo Tiesi , Seilala Mapusua , Sailosi Tagicakibau |
2011 | 8 | Alex Corbisiero, Delon Armitage, Shontayne Hape | Joe Ansbro , Jebb Sinclair , Paulică Ion , Ofisa Treviranus , Sailosi Tagicakibau |
2015 | 6 | Blair Cowan , Sean Maitland , Asaeli Tikoirotuma , Ofisa Treviranus , Halani Aulika , Jebb Sinclair | |
2019 | 6 | Allan Dell , Motu Matu'u , TJ Ioane , Steve Mafi , Bryce Campbell Alivereti Veitokani |
Wasps Rugby Football Club was a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby, until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022, the club entered administration, resulting in relegation from the league and all staff being made redundant. They exited administration on 16 December 2022.
Harlequins is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London.
London Welsh Rugby Football Club was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, after gaining promotion from the RFU Championship in the 2012 and 2014 play-off final. The club returned to Old Deer Park in 2015 after three seasons at the Kassam Stadium, Oxford.
Twickenham Stoop Stadium is a stadium located in south-west London, England, situated just across the road from Twickenham Stadium. The stadium is home to the Harlequins in Premiership Rugby and has a capacity of 14,800.
Richmond Rugby Club is a rugby union club in Richmond, London, England. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs. It fields teams in both men's and women's rugby; the men's first team currently play in National League 1 following their relegation from the RFU Championship at the end of the 2022–23 season, while the women's first team play in the Women's Championship.
Rugby union in England is one of the leading professional and recreational team sports. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, was formed by 21 rugby clubs, and the first international match, which involved England, was played in Scotland. The England national team compete annually in the Six Nations Championship, and are former world champions after winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The top domestic men's club competition is Premiership Rugby, and English clubs also compete in international competitions such as the European Rugby Champions Cup. The top domestic women's competition is the Premier 15s.
The Brentford Community Stadium, currently known as the Gtech Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Brentford, West London that is the home of Premier League football club Brentford. The stadium has a capacity of 17,250 and is suitable for use for both association football and rugby union matches. Opened in 2020, the stadium is at the heart of plans to regenerate the surrounding area, including new homes and commercial opportunities. It was used during the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 (Euros), which was held in England.
London Irish Amateur Rugby Football Club, also known as London Irish Wild Geese, is an amateur English rugby union club based in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, who play their rugby in Regional 2 Thames– a league at tier 6 of the English rugby union system – following their relegation from London & South East Premier at the end of the 2019–20 season. They are the amateur team of former professional team London Irish and play at Hazelwood.
The 2010–11 Aviva Premiership was the 24th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the first one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Leicester Tigers, who had claimed their ninth title after defeating Saracens in the 2010 final. Exeter Chiefs had been promoted as champions from the 2009–10 RFU Championship, their first promotion to the top flight.
The Avenue was a rugby union stadium and training pitches in Sunbury-on-Thames that belonged to the English club London Irish since 1931 when the team bought its 11 acres (4.5 ha). The team moved one season to the Stoop Memorial Ground thereafter to Madjeski Stadium, from 2000. For 14 more years the club kept The Avenue as its training and pre-season friendlies ground as well as Aviva A League matches. In 2014 the club began to train at its replacement, larger Hazlewood facility in the same town, including its Academy and hosting international training when Twickenham stadium hosts such tournaments and the grounds were converted to landscaped suburban housing, a sports/leisure club and care home.
The 2011–12 Aviva Premiership was the 25th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the second one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the 2011 final. Worcester Warriors had been promoted as champions from the 2010–11 RFU Championship at the first attempt.
Rugby union is one of the most popular sports, in terms of both participants and spectators in London. London has several of England's leading rugby union clubs, and the city is home to 13 teams playing in national leagues, and many regional amateur leagues regulated by the London and South East Division Rugby Football Union. However, several of these teams, due to necessity, have found homes at stadia outside the boundaries of the capital. The sport is well established, especially in the middle-class suburbs to the north and west of the city. Four of the twelve clubs currently in the Gallagher Premiership have London origins.
The 2012–13 Aviva Premiership was the 26th season of the top-flight English domestic rugby union competition and the third one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Harlequins, who had claimed their first title after defeating Leicester Tigers in the 2012 final. London Welsh had been promoted as champions from the 2011–12 RFU Championship, their first promotion to the top flight.
The 2016–17 Aviva Premiership was the 30th season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the seventh one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their third title after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2016 final. Bristol Bears had been promoted as champions from the 2015–16 RFU Championship after a seven-year absence.
The 2017–18 Aviva Premiership was the 31st season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the eighth and final one to be sponsored by Aviva. The reigning champions entering the season were Exeter Chiefs, who had claimed their first title after defeating Wasps in the 2017 final. London Irish had been promoted as champions from the 2016–17 RFU Championship at the first attempt.
The 2018–19 Gallagher Premiership was the 32nd season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the first one to be sponsored by Gallagher. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their fourth title after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2018 final. Bristol Bears had been promoted as champions from the 2017–18 RFU Championship at the first attempt.
The 2019–20 Gallagher Premiership was the 33rd season of the top flight English domestic rugby union competition and the second one to be sponsored by Gallagher. The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who had claimed their fifth title after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2019 final. London Irish had been promoted as champions from the 2018–19 RFU Championship at the first attempt.
The 2021–22 Premiership Rugby was the 35th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the fourth to be sponsored by Gallagher. It is also the first since 1992–93 to feature thirteen teams. The competition was broadcast by BT Sport for the ninth successive season with four league season games and the final also simulcast free-to-air on ITV. Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV with extended highlights on BT Sport.
The 2022–23 Premiership Rugby was the 36th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the fifth to be sponsored by Gallagher. The competition was broadcast by BT Sport for the tenth successive season, with six league season games and the final also simulcast free-to-air by ITV. Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV with extended highlights on BT Sport. This was the final season to be aired on BT Sport before its rebrand to TNT Sports in July 2023.
The 2023–24 Premiership Rugby is the 37th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition and the sixth to be sponsored by Gallagher. The competition was broadcast by TNT Sports for the eleventh year of their broadcast deal, with six league season games and the final also simulcast free-to-air by ITV. Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV, with extended highlights on TNT Sports. This was the first season to be aired on TNT Sports since it replaced BT Sport in July 2023.