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| Full name | London Irish Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Middlesex RFU, Surrey RFU, Irish RFU | |
| Nickname(s) | The Exiles, The Drummers | |
| Founded | 1898 | |
| 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 that most recently competed in the Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Champions Cup, and the European Challenge Cup. While competing in the RFU Championship, the second tier of English rugby, during the 2016–17 and 2018–19 seasons, London Irish also took part in the British and Irish Cup and the RFU Championship Cup. For twenty years, the club played its home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading, Berkshire, before relocating to the Brentford Community Stadium in Brentford, West London, for the 2020–21 season.
The club was founded in 1898 following the creation of London Scottish, London Cornish and London Welsh for the same reason, allowing Irishmen the chance to play rugby with fellow countrymen in the English capital. They won their only major trophy, the Powergen Cup, in 2002 and reached the 2009 Premiership final, losing 10–9 to Leicester Tigers.[1] 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.[2]
London Irish faced financial difficulties during the 2022–23 season and was issued a winding-up order by HMRC over an unpaid tax demand. To avoid suspension from the Premiership, the RFU set a deadline for the club to provide financial assurances confirming its ability to continue paying players and staff. The club failed to meet this deadline and was subsequently excluded from competing in the 2023–24 season—not only in the Premiership but across all professional tiers of rugby union in England.[3] After a number of moribund years, the club exited administration on 12 February 2025 when it was purchased by a consortium led by Irish former Formula One owner, Eddie Jordan.[4]
- ^ Palmer, Bryn (16 May 2009). "Leicester 10–9 London Irish". BBC News.
- ^ "London Irish 15–21 Toulouse". BBC News. 26 April 2008.
- ^ "London Irish suspended from Gallagher Premiership and all leagues by RFU due to financial issues". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "F1 legend Eddie Jordan's consortium launches revival of London Irish". The Guardian. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.