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Gallagher Premiership

The emotional reaction on Twitter after suspension of London Irish

(Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

Tuesday evening’s demise of London Irish generated an avalanche of sympathy on Twitter, ranging from fellow Gallagher Premiership clubs, former internationals, former players, numerous broadcasters and even the ex-kitman at Wasps – another of the top-flight clubs to collapse since last September.

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It was shortly after 7pm when the RFU confirmed its decision to suspend London Irish from the 2023/24 Premiership, adding that they would not be permitted to play in any of its leagues following a failed American-led takeover bid and the unwillingness of the current owner Mick Crossan to continue to fund the club.

With London Irish players and staff having received only 50 per cent of their salaries in last week’s May payroll, a collective RFU, Premiership Rugby and RPA hardship fund has now been established to help those worst affected.

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In the meantime, social media went into overdrive with a wide spectrum of people reacting to the Exiles falling out of the Premiership just months after Wasps and Worcester also fell by the wayside.

Former England international Tom May immediately reached out to those left in limbo by the club.

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London Irish have issued a 72-word statement in response to Tuesday evening’s announcement that the RFU had suspended the club from taking part in next season’s Gallagher Premiership.

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“Any London Irish players needing to look at opportunities outside of professional sport, please do get in touch,” he wrote. “FutureProof Pro have roles for athletes and is set up to help you. Please let any players know about this. It’ll make a big difference to some.”

Local rivals Harlequins, whose fixtures with London Irish have produced some cracking post-pandemic entertainment, commented: “Our sincere sympathies and best wishes to the players, coaches, supporters and all connected to London Irish at this incredibly difficult time.

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“Harlequins will now work closely with Premiership Rugby, The RFU and all key stakeholders to understand the implications of the suspension on the upcoming season and will be in contact with our supporters with further detail, including the club’s action plan.”

Quoting his own club’s tweet which stated: “Gloucester Rugby would like to express our sadness following the news of London Irish’s suspension from the Gallagher Premiership. Our thoughts are with the fans, staff and players,” Kingsholm CEO Lance Bradley said: “We are thinking of our many friends at London Irish this evening, and of course their fans and everyone else connected with the club.”

Andy Goode, the ex-England out-half and current media pundit, added: “Thoughts with every player, member of staff and fan of London Irish tonight. Such sad news to hear of the suspension from the leagues. Mismanagement and poor running of businesses across the league to blame.”

Fellow broadcaster Sonja McLaughlan said: “Always jumped at the chance to do a game at London Irish. A style of rugby that warmed the soul. Feel desperate for Declan Kidney, Les Kiss and everyone connected with the club. How ironic they had just finished as best of the rest in the league and now this. It’s a mess.”

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Next up, Alex Corbisiero, the club’s former Test-level prop. “Heartbroken for London Irish, thinking of all the players, staff and fans right now.”

The club’s Irish origins were recognised in a tweet from Rugby Players’ Ireland, who posted its message with a splendid picture of the late Gary Halpin in action in a 1990s London Irish jersey. “A home from home. Thinking of all those connected with London Irish – a great home for many an Irish player over the years. Hopefully, they can find a way out.”

Ex-Wasps kitman Pudsey Bevan wrote: “232 days ago this happened to me and 166 of my friends. I’m still not over it but if I can help anyone from London Irish, please get in touch.”

Scott Steele, the former Scotland scrum-half who spent six seasons at London Irish, stated: “Heartbreaking news. Thoughts go out to everyone involved with London Irish. Great club but more importantly great people.”

Broadcaster Sarra Elgan Easterby said: “Another sad day… Words are hard to find, and obviously not for the first time this season. Thoughts with all London Irish players, staff and fans.”

Stuart Barnes, another ex-Egland No10 who now also works in the media, wrote: “Feeling glum at London Irish news. A great old club I enjoyed playing against that is yet another subsumed despite doing so well on the pitch and with their academies.”

Journalist Neil Fissler reckoned: “Seems like London Irish players and staff were the subject of lies and p*** taking until the very end. Feel for them. Hopefully, they find clubs and new jobs ASAP.”

Fellow journalist Ashleigh Wilmost added: “Very, very sad news for London Irish today. It’s a brilliant club and truly heartbreaking to see another club’s financial failings lead to suspension from the Premiership. My thoughts are with everyone affected by the news: players, staff, volunteers and their wonderful fans.”

The final word goes to Gonzalo Tiesi, the retired Argentine player. “So sad news. London Irish gave me the chance to become a professional back in 2006. Great club, great people and better memories. Hope things can get sorted in the near future. In the meantime a big hug to all the London Irish community!”

https://twitter.com/Sonjamclaughlan/status/1666166573202014209

https://twitter.com/neilfissler/status/1666148900288200715

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Comments

1 Comment
A
Alex 564 days ago

Really hope the 3 fallen clubs come back as phoenix clubs in whatever the new model may be. I know the plan is 10 & 10 right now, honestly think that may be too many. Ten team Premiership, eight team Championship.

I'd say however, the Prem needs to be ring-fenced for at least the next 3 seasons, if not 5 though. Need to protect the 10 remaining, that's just reality.

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Comments on RugbyPass

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GP 52 minutes ago
The top 50 prospects under 23 in New Zealand rugby

Really interesting article.Canterbury and Crusaders lock Jamie Hannah, who debuted for the Crusaders before Canterbury , he is going places. Fellow Canterbury lock, who has debuted for the Crusaders in Europe, is big and athletic. His father Graham played in the NPC winning Canterbury side of 1997. His Uncle is former AB Chris Jack. Makos and Crusader no 8 Fletcher Anderson is developing fast with more experience. First-five James White did play well for Canterbury in the loss to Wellington. No harm in first-fives who can play fullback.

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JW 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Yep NZ national u85 team is touring there atm I think (or just has).

144 Go to comments
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JW 1 hour ago
Warren Gatland finds out his fate as Wales undergo huge changes

What are they gonna do with the 500k and what does that achieve? They could dump the whole side and pick amateurs and save 10million, but what is that going to achieve?


The problem it feels like to me is I didn't hear what Gatland is going to do in order to win the 6N next year. How is he helping the problem. It just sounds like they're expecting miracles and for Gatland to turn around the national teams results, but what good is that when you're not fixing any of the problems and you'll just be back where you were when Gatland and the old players leave?


I think you are totally wrong in your stance. Wales abosolutely need to spend that 500k by investing in their future, it just doesn't sound like theyre giving Gatland any more resources to do it with. They're not using that 500k very well.

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JW 1 hour ago
James O'Connor on Crusaders preseason: 'I haven't experienced anything like it'

They would improve a lot of such a scheme were allowed though JD, win win :p

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JW 1 hour ago
James O'Connor on Crusaders preseason: 'I haven't experienced anything like it'

Yeah I actually think it was Havili that took it off him. Not bad himself, but on the advice of Razor, who didn't even pursue it and use Havili on a split bench as 10 cover?


One huge cluster#$@% but I think you could be right, I liked O'Connor when he won at the Reds and I've just got a funny feeling he's going to dominate Super Rugby, kinda like how Cooper came back to the Wallabies as an experienced head and spat out South Africa. I think James could do the same with the Blues and other Aus sides. I'd really love Rivez to get a lot of minutes though.

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JW 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I rated Lowe well enough to be an AB. Remember we were picking the likes of George Bridge above such players so theres no disputing a lot of bad decisions have been made by those last two coaches. Does a team like the ABs need a finicky winger who you have to adapt and change a lot of your style with to get benefit from? No, not really. But he still would have been a basic improvement on players like even Savea at the tail of his career, Bridge, and could even have converted into the answer of replacing Beauden at the back. Instead we persisted with NMS, Naholo, Havili, Reece, all players we would have cared even less about losing and all because Rieko had Lowe's number 11 jersey nailed down.


He was of course only 23 when he decided to leave, it was back in the beggining of the period they had started retaining players (from 2018 onwards I think, they came out saying theyre going to be more aggressive at some point). So he might, all of them, only just missed out.


The main point that Ed made is that situations like Lowe's, Aki's, JGP's, aren't going to happen in future. That's a bit of a "NZ" only problem, because those players need to reach such a high standard to be chosen by the All Blacks, were as a country like Ireland wants them a lot earlier like that. This is basically the 'ready in 3 years' concept Ireland relied on, versus the '5 years and they've left' concept' were that player is now ready to be chosen by the All Blacks (given a contract to play Super, ala SBW, and hopefully Manu).


The 'mercenary' thing that will take longer to expire, and which I was referring to, is the grandparents rule. The new kids coming through now aren't going to have as many gp born overseas, so the amount of players that can leave with a prospect of International rugby offer are going to drop dramatically at some point. All these kiwi fellas playing for a PI, is going to stop sadly.


The new era problem that will replace those old concerns is now French and Japanese clubs (doing the same as NRL teams have done for decades by) picking kids out of school. The problem here is not so much a national identity one, than it is a farm system where 9 in 10 players are left with nothing. A stunted education and no support in a foreign country (well they'll get kicked out of those countries were they don't in Australia).


It's the same sort of situation were NZ would be the big guy, but there weren't many downsides with it. The only one I can think was brought up but a poster on this site, I can't recall who it was, but he seemed to know a lot of kids coming from the Islands weren't really given the capability to fly back home during school xms holidays etc. That is probably something that should be fixed by the union. Otherwise getting someone like Fakatava over here for his last year of school definitely results in NZ being able to pick the cherries off the top but it also allows that player to develop and be able to represent Tonga and under age and possibly even later in his career. Where as a kid being taken from NZ is arguably going to be worse off in every respect other than perhaps money. Not going to develop as a person, not going to develop as a player as much, so I have a lotof sympathy for NZs case that I don't include them in that group but I certainly see where you're coming from and it encourages other countries to think they can do the same while not realising they're making a much worse experience/situation.

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Barry 2 hours ago
Loose Leinster scrape by Connacht to extend winning run

Could well be their year. Still winning games while playing utterly puke rugby.

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J
JWH 3 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

NZ regularly plays games against Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, and almost all of the players who play for NZ are born here. Its a bit like an English born Scot, or an Italian born Frenchman.


WR does NOT schedule matches for the big unions. It is a big union problem, not a problem for WR to fix for once.

144 Go to comments
J
JWH 3 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Yes, I don't really rate Lowe and don't see him as a big loss. But PI players are more often leaving their home nation to play for a richer union like France or England or NZ, which is frankly just wrong.

144 Go to comments
J
JWH 3 hours ago
'Springbok Galacticos can't go it alone for trophy-hunting Sharks'

Why don't you tell me?


NZ regularly plays games against PI nations, Japan, and USA, expanding their unions and markets. What has SA done for the game, aside from winning RWCs and playing some really good rugby?


Nothing.

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J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Theyre just reference links to were they got the numbers from. Just couldn't be arsed removing them, theyre irrelevant.


Remember they'll be for all forms of rugby, and 'competition's as well as proper club leagues, for some of the more unique countries in the list. But yes, its fairly interesting what countries are getting upto with the game, Sri Lanka are just off that list. Have you watched Rugged Rugby on Netflix?


I really should check those references on Wales numbers. I had heard it was super popular down through the community, a bit like France in the south, but I'm still surprised by them. NZs mens numbers rose by 5% this year. Google list of rugby union playing countries.

144 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That 500 number is abroad. These idea's would be far more interesting imo.

144 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Fully agree. I'm happy to boost rugby's popularity in these countries for the mean time though. Well I'm happy for it to go on until it naturally stops tbh.


But yes, you wouldn't want it to come to the detriment of other countries, thankfully that's not happening imo.

144 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Why wouldn't they? Just throw the towel in?


They certainly aren't going to go to Scotland if theres no jobs.

144 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Bit of a rosy outlook that. Lets hope so at least!

144 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Still not as much as someone like Mitchell, so there's certainly room for more. But credit to him for his desire, he'd not played in consecutive CCs for the most part, but it doesn't look like he'd willingly missed a league game. What you appear to be giving credit to Toulouse for, as actually Lucu's willingness to play the full 80 mins in a third of his games. That's just very different of UBB, not Toulouse, surely?


They other thing I noted is that he appeared to have a bench backup on those equations. UBB never tried to create a player who can act as his cover and go with a bigger forward split on the bench? Would seem like the perfect opportunity.

144 Go to comments
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GP 4 hours ago
Ex-Wallaby explains why All Blacks aren’t at ‘panic stations’ under Razor

I am looking forward to next year with some of the dead wood gone. Will Jordan getting a full season at fullback will help. From a Crusaders perspective his return and that of Braydon Ennor is going to be huge. They are class acts. A lot of people are going to be eating there words re the Crusaders are going to bounce back.

1 Go to comments
J
Jmann 4 hours ago
How the Black Ferns Sevens reacted to Michaela Blyde's code switch

Make some money, improve defence, play a massively less-complicated game for a year. Win yet another world cup... come back and dominate 7s for a few a season and maybe jump into the women's XVs and win back-to-back world cups in code. Go girl!

3 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

The ones he listed or the African ones? I think problem for people like yourself is you just don't hear about all that is done, and I'd say it's much the same with us here not hearing anything about what SA is doing for Africa.


There's definitely a case for countries to get together for their own benefit as it's such a young sport everything is evolving and theres plenty of knowledge out their (from sports like football) to help that along. SANZAAR is the perfect example.

144 Go to comments
G
GP 5 hours ago
James O'Connor on Crusaders preseason: 'I haven't experienced anything like it'

You are right about Rivez Reihana, he had a long spell when he was out injured. When he came back, in the win over the Rebels and other games and played well. I rate him and glad he is back with the Crusaders. Taha Kemara I think will really step up, in fact he did not play much last year. Hohepa was the one who played. That was due to people's memories are selective or not that good.James O'Connor is out to prove a point and is focused. The injury situation last year was horrendous. I think the Crusaders will bounce back with a vengeance in 2025. Remember 2001 what happened , 2002 was a different story.

18 Go to comments
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