A fight for survival: London Irish

As the tickertape fell at the Madjeski Stadium on 24^th May 2017, London Irish had completed their mission of returning to the top flight of English rugby. In what was a largely untroubled season, Irish lost just one league game and stood out as a clear step above the vast majority of the Championship competition. They looked in good stead to return to the Aviva Premiership.

London Irish are based at world-class training
facilities at the Hazelwood Centre 

                 Fast forward eight months and the club are in serious trouble. They sit grounded to the foot of the Premiership table, nine points off Worcester and just one solitary win against Harlequins on the opening day of the season. For the most part, London Irish have lacked a competitive edge. They have not looked like the Premiership outfit that last season made them out to be, and if they are to have any hope of staying up things need to change.

                                London Irish’s season in the Championship may have provided false promises on three fronts. Firstly, the Championship is an underfunded and poorly performing league. While many top quality players have spent time in the Championship, and it has undoubtedly aided their development, it does not provide the quality of competition needed to prepare a side for the Premiership. With low attendance figures and clubs struggling to stay afloat, it is no wonder clubs aren’t able to develop to their full potential. Any Premiership club that drops is able to outperform opponents without too much effort.

                The second false promise is the growing strength of the Aviva Premiership. In complete contrast to the Championship, the Premiership is seeing growing funding from expanded TV deals from domestic and European rugby. While it is clear to see the quality in teams like Saracens, Exeter & Wasps, where the real improvement has come is further down the table. The perfect example coming this season is Newcastle. A side that has, for years, struggled toward the bottom of the table have found a new strength and confidence led by Dean Richards. It is this growth in the bottom half of the Premiership, making for an overall more competitive and exciting league, that is causing London Irish problems.

                The final false promise is the style of play London Irish have adopted. Brendan Venter is a masterful coach, an inspirational speaker and rugby genius. He, alongside Mark McCall, is responsible for large swathes of success that we have seen at Saracens over recent season. Venter has attempted to instil what he created at Saracens, in London Irish. A tight, direct, powerful and precise game, focusing on doing the simple things perfectly, Venterball. And while it may seem simple, and easy to replicate, London Irish are proving that is it not. In order to be successful as Saracens, the defensive effort needs to be outstanding and the attack has to be clinical, London Irish have so far failed on both these counts. While it may have been good enough in the Championship, this style of rugby not done perfectly will no longer cut it in the top flight.

                With 9 games left in the Premiership season, and a total of 45 points available, the nine point gap between London Irish and Worcester is by no means insurmountable. However, London Irish cannot go quietly into the night, they will need to change and change quickly. And there are signs of life from Irish. A competitive performance at Welford Road as well as the signing of a ball carrying back row Arno Botha and scrum-half Piet Van Zyl could kick start the fight. But the changes must go further than that.

                Irish need to move away from Venterball. They do not have the power or the precision to execute the style successfully. They are, however, stacked with creative and exciting backs. Alex Lewington and Joe Cokanasiga, when they have had the ball, have looked dangerous, but those times are few and far between. London Irish cannot be afraid to spread the ball wide, to attack off first phase ball. There are dynamic ball carriers in Max Northcote-Green, Blair Cowan & Franco van der Merwe. Rather than carrying ball into contact, allow them to look to keep the ball alive, keep the tempo high and unleash the backline. Let loose. There is nothing to lose here.

Irish need to relax. Easier said than done, considering the position they are in. But Irish have looked most dangerous this year when the game is lost. Irish seemingly set out not to lose games from kick-off, rather than win them. This creates immense pressure on players to complete every tackle and take every opportunity, and so far has failed. You cannot hide the league table from the squad, but survival cannot be the focus. The bigger picture will always look bleak, but boiled down it can ease the pressure. As New England head coach, Bill Belichick, puts it ‘do your job’. With Venter spending more time at Hazelwood, it will be hoped he can get the players doing just that. Not asking them save the club, but asking them simply to do their job.

The position London Irish are in is not irreversible. However, with three huge games coming up in February at home to Sale, against a poor Northampton side and hosting relegation rivals Worcester, time is of the essence. A four game period before the Aviva Premiership starts again could be exactly what Irish need. They have all the ingredients to survive. There are Premiership quality players, Venter is a world class coach, but can they get the recipe right in time?