The 30-year-old hooker will become the 10th player to achieve the feat after Justin Bishop, Neal Hatley, Declan Danaher, Bob Casey, Nick Kennedy, Ryan Strudwick, Paul Hodgson, Kieron Dawson and Topsy Ojo.

“I never really thought I would get to 200 games but it is a real privilege to reach this milestone,” said the Australia-born star. “However I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more at the end of my career.

“I’ve played with a lot of great players over the years and been involved in a lot of good games, so I’ve been very lucky in my career so far.”

Justin Bishop holds the Exiles’ record with 280 appearances, five ahead of Academy coach Declan Danaher.

When asked whether he has those records in his sights, Paice stressed: “I’m not too sure. Dec has put it out there, I don’t know if I’ve got another 75 games in me, however I hope I get a head of Topsy. I was ahead of him but a couple of injuries put paid to that.

“Two hundred games has been a long time coming. The last two years I think I’ve only played 15 games a season, because of injury, but hopefully this season I can get a clear run and try to catch Topsy.”

Paice joined Irish’s Academy in 2003 after travelling from his native Australia to England on a gap year during his studies.

What was meant to be a year-long stay turned into a permanent move as he became an integral part of the club’s U19 side that won the National Cup that season.

“I had no idea where life was going to take me when I first moved over to England,” he recalled. “I’ve just rolled with the punches, worked hard and fortunately I’m still here.

“I’ve got a lot of people to thank, Academy coaches, Toby Booth and Corin Palmer, they are great people and each had a huge influence on my career, I owe them a lot.”

In his 11 years at London Irish, the tenacious front row operator, has established himself as one of the best hookers in England, gaining eight Test caps in the process.

“Playing for London Irish has led to me playing for England so that has been a real highlight,” he admitted. “Playing against New Zealand in New Zealand and also playing against Australia was a fantastic experience.

“My favourite game in an Irish shirt has to be the Heineken Cup semi-final against Toulouse in 2008. Even though we lost, to play a side like Toulouse, one of the best teams in Europe, and give them a run for their money and almost win was both disappointing and a real honour. I will always look back on that day with fond memories.”

Looking to the future, David is excited about the direction London Irish are heading and believes the spirit and culture around the Club is as good as it has ever been.

“The move to Hazelwood has been significant,” he explained. “I trained at the Avenue for 10 years and never truly believed that a training ground could make such a big difference, but it has. The culture amongst the group is as good as ever.”

Brian Smith’s Exiles opened their Aviva Premiership campaign with a bonus-point loss against Harlequins at Twickenham last Saturday.

They were dealt a major injury blow earlier this week when Tom Homer was ruled out for at least eight weeks with a serious knee injury sustained in the Quins defeat.