LONDON IRISH
STUCK TO the walls in the foyer of the Hazelwood training ground is a world map, showing all of the countries that London Irish’s diverse squad hail from. For the group, though, they use a phrase to encapsulate all of that. You hear it a lot.
“We call ourselves the Misfit Brothers,” explains a recent recruit, Wallaby Adam Coleman. The lock is one of a number of international names who have dripped into the squad over the last few months.
“Everyone’s come from different lands, different parts of the world. And we have all chosen to be here, right? That’s one of the big messages that comes across when we do what we do, that we’ve come from everywhere and we’ve chosen to be here. Why not? Why not have good craic and have a crack at the Premiership?”
There has been plenty of yo-yoing for Irish in recent years, the club darting between divisions like some grim bronco test. Yet there is an optimism here – in large built on a new approach and new names – that they are better equipped than in seasons prior.
Rugby World are in Sunbury to witness a typical training day for this combative Irish outfit, to see how the
