Falcons v London Irish, 25/09/2010

I hate to tear anyone’s attentions away from Semore Kurdi or the garbage that has been spouted on this website in recent days, but the Falcons do have a match this Saturday and will be looking to break another home hoodoo when London Irish come north. The Exiles have lost on just two of their last 11 visits to Kingston Park, winning eight of the others before a draw in February this year.

That match, like this Saturday’s encounter, was live on TV and Irish took a 0-12 lead within the first half an hour thanks to tries from George Stowers and Steffon Armitage, the latter converted by Tom Homer.  Jimmy Gopperth’s four penalties ensured that both sides ended up with two points.  Following a tense victory at the Madejski Stadium earlier in the season, 2009/10 was the first time since 2001/02 that we had not been beaten by Irish in a season.

A win over Gloucester on Sunday saw Irish move up to second in the Premiership behind early pace-setters Northampton.  In the club’s first match in Reading this season, James Buckland scored the opening try to add to a Ryan Lamb penalty, and as the former Gloucester fly-half kept the scoreboard ticking over Stowers finally sealed the victory with a second-half score.  Lesley Vainikolo’s try and the conversion by Tim Taylor gave the Cider Boys a bonus point though that seems to have annoyed a couple of Irish fans, looking at their board.

This result came on the back of a 33-16 win against Saracens at Twickenham on the opening day of the season, while in the second round of matches Bath beat the Exiles 20-13 at the Rec, a match in which young winger Jonathon Joseph scored his first try for Irish to set up what looked like an improbably victory, but Nick Abendanon crossed to ensure a home win.

Toby Booth’s squad, captained by three-cap All Black prop Clarke Dermody, has a look of solid quality, with England’s Delon Armitage, Topsy Ojo and Paul Hodgson complementing considerable talents of Samoan internationals Elvis Seveali’i, Sailosi Tagicakibau and Seilala Mapasua in the backs.  Mapasua was joined in the centres last week by former Super 14 player Daniel Bowden, who had partnered the now-injured Seveali’i in the first two matches and has made a positive impression on Irish fans so far.

As if that were not enough, young winger Adam Thompstone provides pace and a good try-scoring record of 12 in 21 first-team appearances.  Kicking duties are shared between Lamb, the Australian former Bathplug and Harlequin Chris Malone, and promising young back Homer.

In the forwards, power is provided by Samoan Stowers, who joined last summer.  In the front row Alex Corbisiero is a promising prop who has played for the Saxons, and he packs down alongside the more experienced internationals Paulica Ion (Romania) and Faan Rautenbach (South Africa).  In the middle of the front row James Buckland provides experience of a number of finals at Leicester.

Further back, Irish have traditionally had an extremely strong lineout led by England’s Nick Kennedy and ‘Big’ Bob Casey of Ireland, who has now played over 200 games in a green shirt and led them in the Premiership Final of 2009.  He has not played for his country in nine years but remains a favourite with the Madejski faithful and will be looking to take advantage of the absence of Falcons captain James Hudson, out for eight weeks with a torn hamstring.

Stalwarts Kieran Roche and Declan Danaher, the latter now Irish’s longest-serving player with over 200 appearances, continue to lend their considerable experience to the pack along with the dynamic Steffon Armitage, brother of Delon and like his older sibling an England international who scored eight tries in nine games at the end of last season.  Included in this was a brace in a 38-0 demolition of Sale, a match in which our now-retired old boy John Rudd also scored.  One of the country’s top back-rowers, he will certainly be one player our team will need to be wary of if he plays this weekend.

So far this season the Falcons have proven their commitment to flowing and attacking rugby.  Although we will see whether that commitment remains strong in the depths of winter, we are still in September, so this should be an entertaining game.  You could sit at home and watch it on Sky, but with us having won our first home game and playing a more exciting style of rugby, and even the club’s finances apparently no longer anything to get upset about, what excuse do you have for not going to KP on Saturday?  Personally, I’m gutted that I’ll be missing it!