SKILLS coach Paul Hodgson believes London Irish’s ‘core values’ can help them extend their unbeaten run in 2017, writes Richard Ashton.

Exiles beat Bedford Blues 36-21 on New Year’s Eve to record a 13th consecutive Greene King IPA Championship victory – and a 17th straight success in all competitions – but Hodgson says the table-toppers will not become complacent as the season progresses.

He told the Chronicle: “We’ve got some world class players who value their own professionalism. They view it as a bit of a test and they don’t want anyone to accuse them of being complacent. Their attitude is ‘I’m going to prepare the best I’ve ever prepared’.”

He continued: “Our three core values are being positive, being disciplined and being relentless.

“We concentrate on work rate, with the ball, without the ball, off the ball.

“If you review the game and you see someone walking, or not getting in position quick enough, we can go straight to them and it’s black and white, either you’ve worked hard enough or you haven’t.

“I’m not talking about dropped balls or kicking the ball out on the full or knock-ons, it’s about work rate. When you concentrate on work rate and being disciplined in your role, then it’s very easy to keep going.”

The former scrum half also paid tribute to Exiles fans, with a crowd of more than 4,000 attending the Bedford game.

He gushed: “I can’t speak highly enough about the support. They create an atmosphere which is phenomenal for the lads to play in front of.”