| 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 | |
|
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| 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 suspended from Gallagher Premiership and all leagues by RFU due to financial issues". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Palmer, Bryn (16 May 2009). "Leicester 10–9 London Irish". BBC News.
- ^ "London Irish 15–21 Toulouse". BBC News. 26 April 2008.