Here we go again
By Griff
May 8 2009
London Irish take on Harlequins FC on Saturday at the Twickenham Stoop in the Guinness Premiership semi-final. Traditionalists will tell you that the GP winners this season were Leicester and that these extra games are a waste of time, but that won't stop both teams desperately contesting a very, very tight game.
May 8 2009
London Irish take on Harlequins FC on Saturday at the Twickenham Stoop in the Guinness Premiership semi-final. Traditionalists will tell you that the GP winners this season were Leicester and that these extra games are a waste of time, but that won't stop both teams desperately contesting a very, very tight game.
Experience, as we all know is everything, and the rookies in this encounter are Quins - they've never been in the GP semis before. Irish, of course, are old-hands - we were destroyed by Leicester Tigers 40 - 8 at the end of the 2005/6 season.
That season was Brian Smith's first at the helm, Toby Booth's reign started this year and he'll be keen to go one better than his old boss. From memory of that season it felt very long indeed and the semi-final was almost certainly one step too far. We were still in the ECC and with the final against Gloucester looming the following week it was an optimist indeed who expected anything other than a pasting that time at Welford Road.
This time, though, despite a slight "underdog" tag - and how have we dined-out on that in the past - the feeling is one of muted positivity. Only one team has beaten Quins at home this season in the GP, Leicester only managed a draw. Playing the multi-coloured-ones at the Stoop is a big challenge. Of course, it's one that Irish have managed before - we were that "one team". To put salt in the city-slickers' wounds we've done it twice, pulling a similar last-gasp win off in the EDF Cup (although there was little to play for at that time) to the 27 - 28 drubbing in the GP.
On paper both teams can play some fantastic rugby. Both teams have had slightly off end-of-seasons with injuries taking their toll but the walking-wounded have been patched up and are, in the main, back for this game. For the first time we get to see pretty-much both sides' first choice teams play each other. The prospect is quite mouth-watering. A dry pitch, decent (ish) weather forecast and two sides with a real cutting-edge running the ball. This could be stated for both semi-finals but throw in the local rivalry of Quins/Irish and there's really nowhere else to be on Saturday.
Will the extra incentive of losing-out to Quins players in the GP awards spur the London Irish stars to take their revenge ? Will the ugly-shirted award-winners justify their gongs ? The blue touch-paper is lit at 5.30 pm tomorrow and then we'll know.
That season was Brian Smith's first at the helm, Toby Booth's reign started this year and he'll be keen to go one better than his old boss. From memory of that season it felt very long indeed and the semi-final was almost certainly one step too far. We were still in the ECC and with the final against Gloucester looming the following week it was an optimist indeed who expected anything other than a pasting that time at Welford Road.
This time, though, despite a slight "underdog" tag - and how have we dined-out on that in the past - the feeling is one of muted positivity. Only one team has beaten Quins at home this season in the GP, Leicester only managed a draw. Playing the multi-coloured-ones at the Stoop is a big challenge. Of course, it's one that Irish have managed before - we were that "one team". To put salt in the city-slickers' wounds we've done it twice, pulling a similar last-gasp win off in the EDF Cup (although there was little to play for at that time) to the 27 - 28 drubbing in the GP.
On paper both teams can play some fantastic rugby. Both teams have had slightly off end-of-seasons with injuries taking their toll but the walking-wounded have been patched up and are, in the main, back for this game. For the first time we get to see pretty-much both sides' first choice teams play each other. The prospect is quite mouth-watering. A dry pitch, decent (ish) weather forecast and two sides with a real cutting-edge running the ball. This could be stated for both semi-finals but throw in the local rivalry of Quins/Irish and there's really nowhere else to be on Saturday.
Will the extra incentive of losing-out to Quins players in the GP awards spur the London Irish stars to take their revenge ? Will the ugly-shirted award-winners justify their gongs ? The blue touch-paper is lit at 5.30 pm tomorrow and then we'll know.
Bookmark or share this story with:
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Reddit
StumbleuponHere we go again
Posted by: The Craic www.londonirish.org (IP Logged)
Date: 08/05/2009 13:02
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
More London Irish headlines
- Fantasy Irish Rugby - Week 22 (Bath)
- Irish Resist Tiger Mauling
- Home Comforts – A Pleasant Feeling
- Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
- Fantasy Irish Rugby - Week 22 Worcester (Anglo Welsh)
- Mission Impossible
- Fantasy Irish Rugby - Week 21 Quins (Anglo Welsh)
- 100% Kicking Performance
- Don't Muck Up February