Video: Nick Kennedy's blunt assessment of London Irish's season
Things are not looking good for London Irish at the moment, they are stuck at the foot of the Aviva Premiership table, 12 points adrift of second-bottom side Worcester.
London Irish head coach Nick Kennedy has had a long association with the club, having joined the Academy at 19, going on to form a formidable second row partnership with another loyal servant – Bob Casey.
Kennedy played in the 2008 European Cup semi-final for Irish and the 2009 Premiership final, but it’s been a downward spiral for the club since.
He stepped into the role of head coach after they were relegated at the end of the 2015/16 season.
“A lot longer hours, a lot less fun definitely!” he joked when asked about the comparisons from being a player.
Their time in the Championship lasted only a season, with immediate promotion back to the Aviva Premiership.
“We really enjoyed our time there (in the Championship), the boys worked extremely hard, we looked to rebuild the culture and rebuild the team. We had an enjoyable season, we only lost one game and it was a unique season, it was all about the last game – finding out what league you were going to be in right at the end of May. It was an interesting season and we built throughout and we looked to try to take the momentum into the Premiership, but it is a very, very different league, a tough league.”
They got off to a perfect start with a 39-29 win over Harlequins at Twickenham on the opening day, but since then they’ve failed to register another victory, with 13 defeats following.
An honest Kennedy gave a frank assessment of their season:
“I think it took us all by surprise in that we did an awful lot of homework. I watched every Premiership game the year we were down. We had statisticians come through with all the stats, ball in play time, every stat on every scrum and lineout. We did an awful lot of prep, as much as we possibly could have done, however it just moves on year-on-year. The league gets better and better, people get bigger and stronger and it gets faster and faster. So whilst we thought we were prepared, ultimately if you look at the results we weren’t prepared.” he admitted.
He was asked by RugbyPass whether he feared the sack, with it being a results business.
“Yeah that’s professional sport at the top level, that’s life, it happens all the time. If you look at rugby in the last month or so, (Jim) Mallinder, Steve Tandy, that’s life, It is a results business and look I am completely responsible – if we are not getting the results it is my fault. So yeah that is up to the board to decide, but I will still keep working extremely hard and hopefully the results are going to come so it won’t come to that.”
February is a crucial month, London Irish began with a narrow 13-9 home defeat to Sale, securing a losing bonus point.
It means that Saturday’s match at Northampton and the home game against Worcester on February 25th look like must-wins, if they’re to a realistic chance of survival.
“We don’t really put points targets on (for February). We want to improve as a team, we want to get better. We need to get better than we have been and start winning games.” Kennedy said.
“Everyone believes. We were on the wrong end of some very close results, we got bonus points in very tough places against very good teams and one score games, it’s charge down kick or one missed tackle there, it is about making sure we concentrate for 80 minutes. We weren’t competitive at the beginning of the season, now we very much are.”
London Irish’s Italian international Luke McLean gave an honest appraisal of their predicament and their trio of Premiership matches in February.
“If we manage to win two of those games that could change our entire season, the vibe. Obviously everything is very positive still, but I think if you did lose all three maybe that positivity would sap the team. I think two (wins) you’d be flying high.”
Off the pitch London Irish have been speaking to potential new investors, as they seek to return to the glory days. Majority shareholder Mick Crossan has stated he wants Irish to be a “real contender” in the Aviva Premiership. Kennedy has welcomed the development, “I am a supporter of more money in, yeah definitely. I think every sports club would want more money!”
“We don’t work seven days a week, all the hours we work just to try and survive. We work because we want to succeed, All of us have a real chip on our shoulder where the club is and it has been over the years and we are doing everything we can, but we want to compete at the top level and these things don’t happen overnight.”
“You don’t just turn up from the Championship having done alright and suddenly competing at the top end of Europe and the top four in the Premiership. It is the very, very top end of rugby in Europe and it takes time to turn things around.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
2 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments