Exiles look to change Twickers fortunes

Newsdesk • Published 19 Jan 2010 16:00 0 Comments

LONDON Irish have had mixed fortunes from their trips to Twickenham over the years.

Rugby HQ was the scene of the Exiles greatest triumph back in 2002 when they thrashed Northampton Saints in the Powergen Cup final to win the club's first piece of silverware.

They added the Middlesex Sevens title to that tally last August, but recently Twickenham has not been the club's happiest stomping ground.

They kicked off last season with a tremendous 26-14 win over then Guinness Premiership champions Wasps, but outside that they have tasted defeat in their other four matches there since 2007.

In September of that year they went down 35-27 against Quins in a high-scoring London Double Header. And later that season Twickenham played host to the Exiles' last massive Heineken Cup clash on home soil.

April 2008 saw French giants Toulouse come to town for a hotly anticipated semi-final clash. And despite an early Topsy Ojo try, Irish went down narrowly 21-15 on the day to miss out on a final date with Munster.

Five months later Irish were jubilant after their unexpected Wasps win, but since then they have tasted more disappointment.

First was last May's memorable 10-9 Premiership Final defeat against the Leicester Tigers. And in September they followed that up with an 18-14 reverse at the hands of this season's surprise package Saracens in the Double Header.

Before the recent mixed fortunes it was all plain sailing for the Exiles at Twickenham as they claimed four straight wins at HQ in the mid Noughties.

The historic 38-7 Powergen Cup final win over Saints started the ball rolling, before the Exiles won their first three Double Header clashes.

The beat Quins twice, 18-12 in 2004 and 20-19 in 2006, while Leeds Tykes were on the wrong end of a 27-11 Irish victory in 2005.

Exiles' Twickenham escapades:

April 2002 - Irish 38 Northampton 7 (Powergen Cup Final)

September 2004 - Irish 18 Quins 12 (Premiership)

September 2005 - Irish 27 Leeds Tykes 11 (Premiership)

September 2006 - Irish 20 Quins 19 (Premiership)

September 2007 - Irish 27 Quins 35 (Premiership)

April 2008 - Irish 15 Toulouse 21 (Heineken Cup)

September 2008 - Irish 26 Wasps 14 (Premiership)

May 2009 - Irish 9 Leicester 10 (Premiership Final)

September 2009 - Irish 14 Saracens 18 (Premiership)

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