Director of Rugby: Declan Kidney
Captain: Matt Rogerson
Ground: Gtech Community Stadium
Capacity: 17,250
PREDICTED FINISH: 7TH
The Exiles were involved in precious few dull matches.
They qualified for the Champions Cup after a 10-year absence, but at one point they threatened to achieve far more with their ability to come back from seemingly hopeless positions and score 14 points in not many more seconds.
They unearthed the find of the season in Henry Arundell, below, a full-back whose try in Toulon showcased his searing pace and ability to step out of tackles and they have some old heads at forward to balance the exuberance of youth behind. Sometimes they did not put it all together, either one thing or the other, but when they got it right they were devastating.
After years playing in Reading, where the size of the stadium made even a decent sized crowd seem small, they are back in London in a more intimate arena. Twenty players left Irish during the summer including a core of experienced forwards such as Steve Mafi and Albert Tuisue. Scrum-half Nick Phipps is off to Japan and Sean O'Brien has retired.
Api Ratuniyarawa has joined from Northampton and Newcastle's promising Josh Basham will add to the competition in the back row. Irish were for a while a virtual no-go area for England coaches, but with their academy in full production again the likes of Arundell, Will Joseph and Tom Pearson have commanded attention along with Ollie Haskell-Collins and Will Goodrick-Clarke.
They need to complement class with consistency and make the most of their stadium in Brentford.
INS AND OUTS
IN: Danilo Fischetti (Zebre), Tom Pearson (academy), Will Joseph (academy), Henry Arundell (academy), Luca Morisi (Benetton), Tom Hitchcock (Exeter University), Josh Basham (Newcastle Falcons), Josh Caulfield (Cornish Pirates), Ed Scragg (Cornish Pirates), Api Ratuniyarawa (Northampton Saints), Joe Powell (Melbourne Rebels), So'otala Fa'aso'o (Brive), Isaac Miller (Worcester)
OUT: Albert Tuisue (Gloucester), Terrence Hepetema (Grenoble), Steve Mafi (Oyonnax), Sean O'Brien (retired), George Nott (Dragons), Phil Cokanasiga (Leicester Tigers), Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers), George Davis (retired), Jamie Dever (released), Tadgh McElroy (Ealing Trailfinders), Marcel van der Merwe (Brive), Allan Dell (Glasgow Warriors), Theo Smerdon (retired), Rory Morgan, Nick Phipps, Cillian Redmond, Noel Reid, Marcus Rhodes, Alandre van Rooyen, Rory Brand (all released)
2022-23 SQUAD
Ben Atkins, Matt Cornish, Agustín Creevy, Isaac Miller, Mike Willemse, Lovejoy Chawatama, Ciaran Parker, Danilo Fischetti, Facundo Gigena, Will Goodrick-Clarke, Luke Green, Ollie Hoskins, Giosuè Zilocchi, Josh Caulfield, Adam Coleman, Chunya Munga, Api Ratuniyarawa, Ed Scragg, Rob Simmons, Josh Basham, Ben Donnell, Jack Cooke, Isaac Curtis-Harris, So'otala Fa'aso'o, Juan Martín González, Izaia Moore-Aiono, Tom Pearson, Matt Rogerson, Josh Smart, Caolan Englefield, Hugh O'Sullivan, Joe Powell, Ben White, Jacob Atkins, Paddy Jackson, Rory Jennings, Tom Hitchock, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Will Joseph, Luca Morisi, Curtis Rona, Matt Williams, Ben Loader, Lucio Cinti, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Tom Parton, Henry Arundell, Kyle Rowe, James Stokes
