L Irish v Perpignan: Teams
London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith is aiming to lead his side into the history books on Saturday.
Last Updated: 04/04/08 2:51pm
London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith is aiming to lead his side into the history books on Saturday.
The Exiles have never made it past the pool stages in the Heineken Cup, however they now find themselves on the brink of a place in the last four.
With home advantage against the side they pipped to the top of Pool One, Perpignan, Smith's side will be confident of success.
And the fact London Irish beat the French outfit 24-16 at the Madejski Stadium will add to the expectations.
Smith said: "For all of us associated with London Irish - players, coaches, management and supporters, this is a great week.
"We have an opportunity to do what no other London Irish team has done in the 110 year history of this famous club. We have travelled a demanding road together in Europe this season and deserve our chance to make a mark on this unique tournament.
"Perpignan will be very worthy opponents tomorrow afternoon. They are an experienced, talented and physical team - that is what they have based their game on, so we know what to expect.
Crucial
"The game will be refereed by Alain Rolland from Ireland who is generally acknowledged to be the best referee in Europe and among the top three in the world. He has the experience to manage crucial games like this and to deal with any nonsense and we expect that he will.
"We've had fantastic support from our fans all season on our European travels and we're hoping they will come along again tomorrow and help the team take another big step in this amazing tournament."
Smith has made two changes to the starting line-up with Clarke Dermody returning at loosehead prop and David Paice named at hooker.
Perpignan coach Jacques Brunel has named a full-strength side for the trip, with only Sebastian Chobet, Adrien Plante and Christophe Manas uncapped.
London Irish: 15 Peter Hewat, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Seilala Mapusua, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Mike Catt, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Phil Murphy, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Declan Danaher, 5 Bob Casey (c), 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 David Paice, 1 Clarke Dermody.
Replacements: 16 Tonga Lea'aetoa, 17 Danie Coetzee, 18 James Hudson, 19 Richard Thorpe, 20 Delon Armitage, 21 Peter Richards, 22 Shane Geraghty.
Perpignan: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Christophe Manas, 13 David Marty, 12 Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, 11 Adrien Plante, 10 Nicolas Laharrague, 9 Chris Cusiter, 8 Henry Tuilagi, 7 Ovidiu Tonita, 6 Viliami Vaki, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Rimas Alvarez Kairelis (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Marius Tincu, 1 Sebastien Chobet.
Replacements: 16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Perry Freshwater, 18 Sebastian Bozzi, 19 Christophe Porcu, 20 Nicolas Durand, 21 Gavin Hume, 22 Damien Chouly.