Touch of the Oirish

By Leipziger
March 1 2007

It’s convenient that a ground which could be described or nicknamed the Majestic Stadium is the home of Reading FC (The Royals). What the Mad Stad lacks in atmosphere, it does make up for in comfort and facilities, and the Falcons have a strangely decent record there.

Having lost our first visit in September 1998, when the blue bowl was the home of Richmond, seven months later Va’aiga Tuigamala turned in a beast of a performance to score two tries and put us through to the Tetley’s Cup Final (which we lost to Wasps).

Since London Irish moved there in 2000, we have kept up a lose-win-lose-win record against Irish in Reading, with our visit last year yielding a 6-9 win with Dave Walder hitting three kicks and turning in a top tactical display in poor conditions, two seasons after the now-Wasps fly-half emulated Jonny Wilkinson’s Australian heroics the previous day with a late drop goal to beat the Exiles.

Despite our three wins in the last five visits to Reading, Irish have something of an Indian sign over us at Kingston Park, and we have only beaten them on two of their last seven trips north, and in this season’s reverse fixture in September the Exiles did another number on us with a 21-26 win. Tim Visser scored his third try in three games, and Mark Mayerhofler crossed on his first appearance of the season, but it was Barry Everitt’s boot, supplementing a Riki Flutey try, which secured four points for the visitors.

After an excellent 2005/06, our hosts are still going steady in this season’s Premiership, standing seventh in the table after last week’s 9-14 win at Sale, when Sailosi Tagicakibau scored the only try of the game and England fly-half hopeful Shane Geraghty knocked over a drop goal and two penalties as we were hammering Wasps 37-11.

The Premiership is all the men in green have to concentrate on this season, having been knocked out of the EDF Energy Cup despite two victories and also the Heineken Cup, in which they found themselves in a difficult group with Llanelli, Toulouse and Ulster. With only one win, at home to Ulster, and five defeats Irish finished bottom of Pool 5.

As well as Llanelli and Toulouse, Bristol, Sale and Gloucester have all won at the Madejski Stadium this season, although the last three Premiership teams to visit there have been defeated including Bath 15-7 a fortnight ago.

Irish have a solid if unspectacular squad, with hard working forwards who feed a fast, tactically astute backline. France’s 87-cap flanker Olivier Magne adds considerable talent to the pack who are strong in the lineout with Bob Casey and Nick Kennedy, backed up by Argentine number 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamon. The front row can boast internationals such as Tonga’s Tonga (!) Lea’aetoa, Australian David Fitter, Faan Rautenback of South Africa and Scotland’s Robbie Russell, as well as veteran workhorse Neal Hatley.

In the backs, the pace of Dom Feau’nati of Samoa, Paul Sackey, Topsy Ojo, the aforementioned Tagicakibau and Justin Bishop is released by the creativity of Mike Catt, Riki Flutey and Geraghty who are fed by Paul Hodgson and Ben Willis.

Now for the teams, well, ours at least. Jonny Wilkinson starts his first club game since November, whilst Toby Flood despite his number will allegedly play at inside centre with Mathew Tait and Jamie Noon alternating on the left wing. The pack is unchanged for the fourth successive match.

15 Matthew Burke (c)
14 Tom May
13 Mathew Tait
12 Jamie Noon
11 Toby Flood
10 Jonny Wilkinson
9 James Grindal
1 Joe McDonnell
2 Matt Thompson
3 Micky Ward
4 Mark Sorenson
5 Jason Oakes
6 Geoff Parling
7 Ben Woods
8 Russell Winter

Replacements
Jon Golding
Andy Long
Andy Buist
Brent Wilson
Ollie Phillips
Lee Dickson
Loki Crichton

Irish team TBC.

If you can get down on Saturday please do and give the team your support against the Irish army!!