Paddy Jackson stars as London Irish make winning return to the Premiership
Paddy Jackson kicked 14 points as London Irish made a dream return to the Premiership by beating Wasps 29-26 at the Ricoh Arena.
Uncharacteristically, Jackson missed three kicks but his four penalties and a conversion were just enough to give his side victory. Blair Cowan, Albert Tuisue and Ollie Hassell-Collins were the Irish try-scorers.
For Wasps, Zach Kibirige scored two tries, Dan Robson the other, with Lima Sopoaga kicking two penalties and a conversion. Jacob Umaga added a late penalty to secure a losing bonus point for his side.
Irish had the first chance for points but Jackson made a real hash of a long-distance penalty attempt. Soon after, Sopoaga showed Jackson how it was done by firing a kick over from a similar range to give Wasps a ninth-minute lead.
However, Irish immediately responded with an excellent try. Neat handling sent Hassell-Collins away down the left and when the wing was hauled down 10 metres short of the line, Cowan was on hand to pick up and drive over.
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Jackson missed the conversion before Sopoaga put the hosts back in front with his second penalty to leave Wasps 6-5 in front at the end of an evenly-contested first quarter. A high tackle by Wasps centre Malaki Fekitoa on Hassell-Collins allowed Jackson to score his first points with a straightforward kick but the Irish botched the restart and the home side capitalised.
Wasps seized possession before a burst from Fekitoa put the defence on the back foot and swift transfers allowed Kibirige to squeeze in at the corner. Jackson brought Irish level with his second penalty before they lost their captain Franco Van Der Merwe, who failed a head injury assessment.
The lock’s departure did not stop the visitors’ momentum as the impressive Tuisue powered over from a lineout. Kibirige raced in for his second at the other end and there was just time left in a frenetic half for Jackson to kick a penalty and leave Irish with a 19-16 half-time lead.
'We are all on the same hamster wheel'
– What happened at Twickenham when the @premrugby
coaches of @LiRFC, @Harlequins and @gloucesterrugby – Declan Kidney, Paul Gustard and Johan Ackerman – sat down with @heagnel and @RugbyPasshttps://t.co/rwS90RWDcN— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 15, 2019
Within three minutes of the restart, Irish had their third try when a superb pass from Cowan sent Hassell-Collins away and the wing had no trouble in outpacing the cover defence. Jackson converted and added a penalty before Kibirige was narrowly denied a hat-trick by a brilliant tackle from Hassell-Collins, who forced his opponent into touch inches short of the line.
Visiting lock Ruan Botha was sin-binned as Wasps built up sustained pressure and they were rewarded when Robson darted over from close range. Umaga, on for Sopoaga, kicked a penalty before Botha returned to try and stem the Wasps’ tide and he succeeded as Irish held on by the skin of their teeth for a memorable victory.
“We took our chances and the 10 points we scored just after half-time proved crucial,” said a delighted Declan Kidney, Irish’s director of rugby. “Paddy missed a couple of three-foot putts but fortunately he recovered to kick a few others. We were pleased with the performances of our back three as they are all our academy products and it shows that players want to stay with the club.”
? YOUR TABLE ?@BristolBears ? sit proudly atop the #GallagherPrem as the only team who truly dominated their opposition ?
But a word for @WorcsWarriors and @LiRFC who look like they'll trouble everyone ?
Closest. Year. Ever ? Called it ?
Who's the dark horse?? ? pic.twitter.com/JjH2sa1XTy
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) October 20, 2019
Wasps boss Dai Young, meanwhile, was unhappy with his side’s performance. “We should have been better than that as we gave away some soft tries with two conceded from turnovers. We didn’t get much ball in the first half and when we did, we panicked. We left ourselves with a mountain to climb and I’m frustrated that we put ourselves in that position.
“The second half was a reversal of the first as we had plenty of the ball but we weren’t good enough to change the scoreline. We knew it would be tough against them as the promoted side has won on the opening day in three of the last four seasons, and parts of their game were top drawer. There were a few positives out there with Zach Kibirige finishing fantastically.”
WATCH: Former Australian international Matt Giteau sits down with RugbyPass in the latest episode of Rugby World Cup Memories
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments