PAUL HODGSON insists London Irish are taking nothing for granted as they prepare for this weekend’s crucial Championship play-offs.
The Exiles stormed to top spot in the regular season, winning 19 of their 20 games and finishing 33 points ahead of fourth-placed Doncaster, who they play in the semi-finals on Sunday.
And Irish make the trip to Yorkshire on Sunday with fresh memories of beating the Knights, triumphing 22-5 there earlier this month.
However, skills coach Hodgson says now is time to move on from the league phase and start afresh for the two-legged knock-out matches with a place in the Premiership up for grabs.
“Somebody was quoted as saying it is the longest pre-season ever because it’s come down to these semis and a final,” Hodgson told The Wokingham Paper.
“We’re going to give it our best shot.
“There were other people talking about trying to get through the season without losing a game, but we didn’t buy any of that at all.
“The club was in a bit of a tight spot last summer going from Premiership to Championship.
“Once we put our heads together and put a plan in of what we needed to do, we knew it would take a lot of hard work and effort.
“The players, management and support staff had to buy in to it and it was all about building layers upon layers and that’s what we’ve done from day one.”
He continued: “That’s what it’s all about, getting better each week and trying to get ready for the end of the season, albeit if we were able to be pushing for that play-off spot and kicking on to the semis or final.
“We’ve found ourselves there. We’re not taking anything for granted.
“We’ll absolutely treat the opposition with the utmost respect but at the same time we feel we’re ready for the challenge.”
After months of regular rotations to the starting line-up, Nick Kennedy has stuck to a similar line-up for the last two matches as he seeks continuity heading into the play-offs.
And Hodgson says changing the team throughout the campaign was not solely to keep players physically fresh for the crucial run-in.
“The way we’ve rotated our squad and put rest weeks into our season, the boys are feeling pumped, refreshed and ready to go,” he said.
“When the boys are in, it’s high intense training and then recovery around that as well and I feel like we’re in a really good place.
“Rotation was very important for freshness, game time and morale to use every member of the squad, which we feel that we’ve done.
“The British and Irish Cup served us well but in the Championship as well, using every squad member has been key, just to make sure that everybody is ready to go if and when called upon.”
He continued: “We had a couple of weeks between the last game and the semi-final which
has allowed us to have that extra preparation time.
“As a coach you welcome that.
“But it’s about getting the right balance as well and not overcooking it, having to make it feel front of mind and at the same time interesting after eight or nine months.
“It’s about making sure it’s innovative as well, mixing a few things up to keep the boys fully engaged and excited to come to work because that’s a big thing of ours, making it a really positive place.”
The team has been announced for the first leg at Doncaster, which will be shown live on Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon.
There are two changes from the side which won at Castle Park just a few weeks ago with James Marshall and Fergus Mulchrone coming in for Theo Brophy Clews and Greig Tonks.
LONDON IRISH XV: Bell, Lewington, Tikoirotuma, Mulchrone, Cokanasiga, Marshall, McKibbin, Hobbs-Awoyemi, Paice, Franks, De Chaves, Sinclair, Coman, Cowan, Treviranus.
Reps: Porecki, Court, Hoskins, Robson, Gilsenan, Steele, Tonks.
Tickets for the London Irish v Doncaster Knights play-off semi-final second leg on Saturday May 6 at Madejski Stadium, Reading, are on sale from £15 per adult and £2 for under 13s from www.lidirect.co.uk or by calling 0118 968 1016.
