London Irish booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Tetley's Bitter
Cup for a second successive year after victory over London Welsh in a gritty
encounter at Old Deer Park.
This was a fiery battle between the exiles with tempers running high. Four
players were sin-binned and each side gave few opportunities away during the
rain-soaked match.
The visitors asserted their authority over Irish early on but their effort
came to no avail because of Welsh's watertight defence. It was London Welsh's
Andy Lee who had the first opportunity to put points on the board but the former
Saracens player missed the penalty and the crowd had to wait until the 28th
minute for the next score.
London Irish fly-half Barry Everitt successfully kicked a penalty after a
series of attacks on London Welsh's goal-line. Replacement Steve Williams then
added a try on the left wing after the Irish were rewarded for another powerful
drive.
Junior Tomu'u, making his full team appearance this season having recovered
from a hand injury picked up in August, added to Irish's tally with a 34th
minute try after good work by centre Tabai Matson.
Everitt missed the conversion but even with Lee kicking London Welsh's first
point of the afternoon with a penalty Irish led 13-3 at half-time.
Everitt then added another penalty early in the second half but London Irish
were still finding it hard to break down their opponents as it took another 15
minutes for the visitors to collect their third try of the afternoon thanks to
Matt Oliver. Replacement Jarrod Cunningham converted before wingers Paul Sackey
and Nigerian Namdi Ezulike both touched down to make the score 33-3.
A last-gasp converted try by Welsh replacement Richard Mahoney saved the home
side's blushes but it was too little too late as London Irish charged into the
quarter-finals.
London Welsh: Tries: Mahony. Cons: Mahony. Pens: Lee. London Welsh: Vines, A. Jones, Roskell,
Bidwell, Philip, Lee,
Elliott, Pope, G. Botterman, Buckett, Eagle, Langley, White,
L. Jones, Fitzgerald.
Not Used: Brannighan, Price, Johnson, Rossigneux, R. Griffiths,Lewsey, Mahony.
London Irish: Tries: Ezulike, Oliver, Sackey, Tonu'u, Williams.
Cons: Cunningham. Pens: Everitt 2. London Irish: O'Shea, Ezulike, Oliver, Matson, Sackey,
Everitt,Tonu'u, Hatley, Kirke, Halford, Strudwick, Fahrensohn, Halvey,
Allen, Bates.Not Used: Campbell, Cunningham, Bishop, Alexopoulous, Worsley,
Hardwick, Williams.Att: 5,000Ref: Roy Maybank (RFU).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook