Exiles and ‘Quins set for high stakes all Premiership West London derby

Declan Kidney’s London Irish will look to get back in the win column and keep faint play-off hopes alive after back-to-back losses as they welcome in-form Harlequins.

After a Premiership Cup break, the two sides return to Premiership action at the Brentford Community Stadium.

As the season comes to a close, the chances to immortalise your team’s legacy become fewer and fewer.

Despite a ten-point buffer between themselves and their visitors, Irish have already picked up two victories over the Harlequins this season – one in the Premiership and one in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

The first came at the Stoop back in November as Irish edged out a 22-19 win, which at the time was only their second victory of the season. Then, two weeks ago, the Exiles did a league and cup double over their London counterparts with a 34-19 win at the Brentford Community Stadium.

As well as significant play-off implications, this game also represents somewhat of a milestone, as for the first time in a decade, a French referee will take charge of an English Premiership game. Perpingnan’s Mathieu Raynal will be the man in the middle upon request of European Professional Club Rugby upon the return of the Champions and Challenge Cup competitions.

As expected, it’s an entirely changed XV from the one that featured against Leicester Tigers in the closing group game of the Premiership Rugby Cup. This includes Nick Phipps and Paddy Jackson as the half-back pairing and Tom Pearson starting at Six.

The Quins have opted to go one short of a fully changed lineup, with George Hammond retaining his place from the Premiership Cup defeat to Sale in the Front Row.

While the defending Premiership champions suffered consecutive defeats in the cup, they are enjoying a four-game winning streak of triumphs over Wasps, Worcester, Newcastle, and Bristol.

With plenty on the line for both teams, it could be a cagey affair, particularly for London Irish, who could ill afford to lose another game.

Both teams like to play rugby but can also keep it tight when they need to. One would imagine that may be the case in this affair.

Victory for Irish could lift them as high as 5th, but defeat would almost end their play-off hopes and leave them in a battle for Champions Cup places. A win for Harlequins could go a long way to securing spots post-season, whereas defeat leaves the door open for those behind them.

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