Tuesday 3 May 2016 15:28, UK
Coming to terms with relegation is tough, especially in the early days as London Irish are finding out.
Exiles coach Tom Coventry described the changing room as "like a morgue" after their 32-25 loss to Harlequins all but confirmed their relegation from the Aviva Premiership.
Only Bedford winning the Championship will save them, however the Blues - who have no desire to be promoted - were soundly beaten 45-13 by Bristol in their semi-final first leg play-off.
The Championship is calling for the Exiles but once the pain and disappointed has subsided, their fans will have reasons to be hopeful that their club can bounce back bigger and better...
Chance to rebuild and regroup
It's been a tough year for Coventry, who has been forced to compromise the style he wanted to develop in favour of getting results and points. This has obviously backfired and he can look to play to their strengths and not give into the attrition of a relegation dogfight.
Coventry can create a mix of youth and experience that fits London Irish's desired game plan and allows them to build for the future, as well as the desire to get promoted at the first attempt.
John Kingston said that when Harlequins were relegated it was their chance to focus on the way they wanted to play and to stop accepting mediocrity. In the same way Coventry, who has expressed his desire to stay with London Irish, can look to find the right mix of style that will his team.
Much is made of the likes of Harlequins and Northampton bouncing back quickly from relegation but there are also the likes of Leeds, Bristol and Rotherham who have failed to get back to the Premiership. Which group London Irish joins remains to be seen but the foundations are definitely there for them to bounce straight back up.
Foundations
Those include a state of the art training complex at Hazelwood and chief executive Bob Casey has guaranteed they will continue to play at Madejski next season.
Casey is a Exiles man at heart and will put the club's best interests first and foremost. Irish have the infrastructure, the building blocks and the ambition which will hold them in good stead in the Championship.
Plenty of Talent
Success in the Championship will rely on a mix of grizzled veterans and some exciting new talent. London Irish have a proud history of producing some remarkable young players with the likes of Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson, Marland Yarde and Delon Armitage coming through their ranks.
That production line looks in rude health. Their U18s beat Gloucester in the academy final earlier this year and the likes of winger Joe Cokasaniga and scrum-half Rory Brand look very promising indeed. Plus there is the emergence of fly-half Theo Brophy Clews, who is the club's youngest ever try-scorer and has also represented England U20, helping them to with the AER European Championship.
Former England back-rower Luke Narraway has recently signed a contract extension and Irish's hopes of bouncing straight back will be certainly boosted if the majority of the squad stick around.
Season highlights
Played 21, won four and lost 17 is not pleasant reading for Irish. They played some lovely rugby at times but could just not turn it into wins.
Irish beat Northampton 25-23 in December, bullying a feared Saints pack to get a penalty try. They were also Challenge Cup quarter-finalists and forced Harlequins to work hard in their last-eight clash at the Stoop.
They scrapped until the very end, with Gloucester win in March closing the gap at the bottom of the table, and they showed their passion and never-say-die attitude against Quins in the penultimate game.
Different experiences
Instead of dwelling on disappointment, the players and coaches will need to embrace the challenges and experiences ahead. The Championship is a different beast to the Premiership and the players will need to get used to the different rigours and the less than glamourous away changing rooms. But there will be a chance to experience a different side to the game outside of the top-flight and professionalism.
If London Irish can stick together and build not only their style of play - including game management - but also on their confidence, then there is no reason that thus time next year, they will be eyeing up a return to the Premiership.
