London Irish are making a habit of harum-scarum wins. A fortnight ago, they beat Bath 36-33, then last Friday they scored three tries in the final 10 minutes to see off Cardiff Blues 41-35.
That win set up a rematch with Bath in the Challenge Cup quarter-final at The Rec, which begins an alluring end of the season for a settling squad. They clearly have a shot at European silverware but, in sixth position, could also make a dash for the play-offs.
Nick Phipps, their 70-cap Australia scrum-half, has been passing on advice to his younger team-mates on how to handle knockout rugby, and hopes tonight will be a rather more sedate affair.
“For this club, there’s a little bit of uncharted territory,” Phipps said.
“It’s not lost on anyone in the club that we haven’t been in a trophy hunt for a long time. An opportunity to see how far we can go against the best teams is pretty enticing. It’s good in a way that a lot of players don’t have that finals experience. Talking to them about what we need to do is pretty exciting.
“People think finals footy is all about razzle-dazzle, or needing to play the best game of your life. From my experience, finals footy is about doing your basics as well as possible.”
