London Welsh
London Irish v London Welsh Pre-Season Preview
By Mark W-J
August 12 2010
Roll away the sight-screens, dust off the duckboards, and try last year’s replica shirt for size. The rugby season used to run from 1st September to 30th April, but the modern professional is lucky to get a two month summer break. Fourteen weeks have elapsed since London Welsh’s promotion campaign ended in defeat at Bristol, and our 125th anniversary season begins at Sunbury on Friday night.
A quarter of a century ago – the summer of Live Aid, Desperately Seeking Susan and the Bradford and Heysel disasters - the centenary year kicked-off with an air of optimism. Although the inaugural World Cup and the Courage Leagues were still two years away, the Exiles had made a debut appearance in the John Player Cup final at Twickenham in April, losing 24-15 to a Bath side which claimed the second of four consecutive titles. On paper, at least, we could claim to be the second best team in the country, although in reality there had been more than an element of luck in the defeats of both Nottingham and Coventry, the latter having beaten much-fancied Leicester on try-count after a 10-10 draw in the quarter-finals. Two years later, of course, the RFU put us firmly in our place by ranking us – alongside both London Irish and London Scottish – in the second tier of league rugby. Nobody would have believed at that time that we’d spend the next decade dreaming of regaining that lofty status.
And so, the 125th anniversary season brings more promise. Last year’s third-place finish was our best ever in 23 seasons of league rugby, which, backed-up by the last four defeat at the Memorial Ground, brought to a successful conclusion one of the most emotional and controversial seasons in our long history. With Bristol’s playing budget having been slashed following their failure to negotiate the two-legged final against Exeter,Welsh have been installed by many followers of the Championship as the team most likely to challenge Worcester for promotion. We start the season with a third Head Coach in as many years – although, to be fair, each of them has been promoted from within to ensure continuity – and for a second season running, open up with a visit to London Irish.
Last year’s fixture was a feast of running rugby, enjoyed by a crowd in the region of 2,500-3,000, significantly more than the estimated 300-500 for whom the club had catered. The home side won 38-21, but where as Welsh played an almost full-strength side, Irish had a team built around their burgeoning academy. Tom Homer, Marcus Watson, Jonathon Joseph, Adam Thompstone, Max Lahiff, Sam Edgerley, Ben Stevenson, Jamie Gibson, Jon Fisher and Guy Armitage may not all be household names just yet, but a significant proportion of them will be Premiership and possibly England regulars over the next ten years. Watson, Edgerley, Jospeh, Stevenson and Armitage all featured at Twickenham on the Saturday afternoon, as Irish finally won the Middlesex Sevens for the first time.
Yet that was the only silverware to make its way to Reading (via Sunbury) last season, and following on from the previous year’s appearance in the Guinness Premiership Final (an exasperating 10-9 defeat to Leicester) 2009-10 was thus deemed a failure. The Heineken Cup campaign was a real mixed-bag – victory over holders Leinster in week one followed by a home defeat at the hands of the Scarlets a weeklater. And on the final weekend, a nail-biting 11-11 draw with Leinster saw the Turks qualify for the last eight by virtue of the head-to-head record. The domestic campaign was blighted byinjuries – Topsy Ojo made only four appearances all season; Sailosi Tagicakibau scored six tries in the opening five rounds, but only played a further 43 minutes in the last six months of the Premiership season – but a sixth-place finish was enough to guarantee Heineken Cup rugby for the fourth time in five years.
As a result of last year’s downturn, only one London Irish player has been retained in the England Elite Squad for 2010-11 – and even the most avid supporter would surely acknowledge that Delon Armitage has been incredibly lucky to do so after some uncharacteristically nervy appearances in the white jersey last season. His brother Steffon steps down to the Saxons, along with scrum-half Paul Hodgson, where they are joined by young prop Alex Corbisiero, who preserves his position, while Nick Kennedy, David Paice and Topsy Ojo drop out of the reckoning completely.
For London Welsh, there may well be an array of international talent on view on Friday. The official website currently lists among the 26-man squad ten new signings, including five full caps (three Tongans, one Fijian and an American) plus three who have represented England Sevens. They may not be Welsh (but then again, the Irish aren’t Irish!) but as long as they run the ball more than they kick it they’ll always be welcome at Old Deer Park.
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Stumbleupon12/08/2010 12:29
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Heres London Irish's version and their team line up. Looks a good line-up.
I now have to go to Manchester today so getting there will depend on Network Rail working....
New signings set to make first starts for the Exiles
New London Irish recruits Dan Bowden and Darren Allinson will make their first starts for the club tomorrow evening as the Exiles kick off their pre-season programme against London Welsh at Sunbury, kick off 7.30pm.
Dan Bowden will be making his first for London Irish
New Zealander Bowden, who joined the club from Super 14 side the Canterbury Crusaders, will play at inside centre, while Allinson, who arrived from Cardiff Blues, will start at scrum-half.
London Irish will also be able to call upon the services of their most capped player, Declan Danaher, for the first time since last October, as he makes his welcome return from a knee ligament injury.
Danaher will be joined in a star studded line up by five current or former internationals as the Exiles look to get the new season off to perfect possible start.
Commenting on the match, London Irish head coach Toby Booth said: "Pre-season fixtures are paramount to our preparations for the start of the league season and we are really pleased to once again be starting with a match against London Welsh.
“We have a great relationship with Welsh and I’m sure that it will be a very entertaining and competitive evening of rugby in front of a good crowd in Sunbury.”
London Irish line-up:
15. Tom Homer; 14. Jonathan Joseph; 13. Elvis Seveali’i*; 12. Daniel Bowden; 11. Marcus Watson; 10. Chris Malone; 9. Darren Allinson; 1. Clarke Dermody* (captain); 2 James Buckland, 3. Paulica Ion* 4. Nick Kennedy*; 5. Matt Garvey; 6. Declan Danaher; 7. Richard Thorpe; 8. George Stowers*.
Replacements:
16. Max Lahiff; 17. Rob Herring; 18. James Tideswell; 19. Kieran Roche; 20. Bob Casey*; 21.Gary Johnson; 22. Jamie Gibson; 23. Ryan Lamb; 24. Jamie Lennard; 25. Guy Armitage.
* Denotes international
Quote:Dockman
"The official website currently lists .....the 26-man squad". Where exactly? With the first friendly tomorrow I'd have thought we'd have been given the full squad by now.
[www.london-welsh.co.uk]
Quote:Dockman
And while I'm about it, has anyone yet had their 2010-11 membership cards etc?
Not yet, no.
Tonight's starting line up is:
1. Holford
2. Breeze
3. Ward
4. Purdy
5. Corker
6. Mills Capt
7. Hills
8. Fisher
9. Runciman
10. Ross
11. Claassens
12. Whatling
13. Drauniniu
14. Gibson
15. Thomas
Quote:Welsh qualified , England U20, local lad ex Hampton School, and Wellington. One for the future.Jonathan Fisher - London irish Academy.
Conv not kick
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:08:13:20:48:56 by Blackheath Welsh.
You may wish wish to read your own site?
[www.rugbynetwork.net]
Hope the link works.
Wish LI all the best for this season
BW
Scoreline flattered LI and a bit bemused as to why they kicked the penalties, you can do that on the training pitch. After that performance their coach has more to worry about than Phil Greening has.
Scottish game should give a better idea of how our team is shaping up but thought it was a decent first run-out of the season.
Marcus Watson and Tom Homer both scored tries as London Irish kicked off their pre-season campaign with a victory over their local rivals at Sunbury on Friday night.
Three penalties from Aussie fly-half Chris Malone gave Exiles a 9-0 lead before an altercation, which ended with George Stowers and Bob Casey being sent to the sinbin along with two London Welsh players.
London Irish were sparked into action when their 21-year-old Academy product Jon Fisher, who was playing for London Welsh, went over for the first try of the game.
Watson and Homer then crossed in the final quarter to secure a convincing win for Exiles.
New London Irish recruits Dan Bowden and Darren Allinson both made their first starts for the club, while Declan Danaher played for the first time since last October, as he made a welcome return from a knee ligament injury.
London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Jonathan Joseph, 13 Elvis Seveali’i, 12 Daniel Bowden, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Chris Malone, 9 Darren Allinson, 1 Clarke Dermody (capt), 2 James Buckland, 3 Paulica Ion, 4 Nick Kennedy, 5 Matt Garvey, 6 Declan Danaher, 7 Richard Thorpe, 8 George Stowers.
Replacements: 16 Max Lahiff, 17 Rob Herring, 18 James Tideswell, 19 Kieran Roche, 20 Bob Casey, 21 Gary Johnson, 22 Jamie Gibson, 23 Ryan Lamb, 24 Jamie Lennard, 25. Guy Armitage.
London Welsh: 1 Holford, 2 Breeze, 3 Ward, 4 Purdy, 5 Corker, 6 Mills (capt), 7 Hills, 8 Fisher, 9 Runcimen, 10 Ross, 11 Claassens, 12 Whatling, 13 Drannui, 14 Gibson, 15 Thomas.
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- Tom May is London Welsh Backs Coach
- 1st XV Pre-Season Fixtures
- London Welsh Women Ready For Pre-Season
- London Welsh Women RFC Fixtures
- 2XV 'Druids' Fixtures
- 1st XV 2018/19 Fixtures