London Irish seek to bounce back with Stephen Myler signing

(Photo: Getty Images)
By Adam Ellis
Declan Kidney and Les Kiss are already planning for an immediate return to the Premiership at London Irish with the signing of experienced fly-half Stephen Myler.
The Northampton Saints signalled their intention to move on from Myler in March with Dan Biggar arriving from the Ospreys ahead of next season.
A player for the big occasion, Myler has a 100% success rate with the boot in all major finals that he has played in for Northampton, kicking 23 from 23 attempts. A trait that Kidney wanted to bring to a youth Exiles backline.
“Stephen is a player who possesses a vast amount of experience, which will be important for us next season,” technical consultant Kidney told the club’s website.
“He’s shown throughout his time at Northampton that he has composure during the big occasions and his influence around the training ground will help the younger lads coming through the ranks.”
Myler made over 300 appearances for Saints and was part of the team that won promotion from the Championship to the Premiership in 2008. Hoping to do the same a decade later with his new club, the 33-year-old shared how impressed he was with the set-up at the Madejski Stadium.
“I’m delighted to join London Irish, a club that is steeped in history and tradition and has the ambition to be back amongst the leading clubs in the Premiership,” Myler said.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Northampton Saints and I’ve made friends for life, but the time is right for me to now embark on a fresh new challenge with London Irish.
“Everything about London Irish has impressed me and I’m looking forward to joining up with my new teammates for pre-season as we look to make an immediate return to the Premiership.”
Irish’s relegation was confirmed in the penultimate round of the Premiership season after Worcester Warriors thumped Harlequins 44-13.
It meant an immediate return back to the Championship for Irish.