Former Ireland flanker Kieron Dawson has welcomed the resurgence of London Irish, with the English club, with strong Celtic roots, nearing a return to competitive action in the not-too-distant future.
The English Premiership entered administration in June 2023 due to severe financial issues, with debts of approximately £30 million, unpaid wages, and the collapse of a takeover bid.
The club was rescued from insolvency back in February by a consortium led by Kyle Jordan, the son of the late Formula 1 Entrepreneur Eddie Jordan.
Former London Irish player, Chandler Cunningham-South. Pic: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
London Irish have ambitious plans to return to top-flight rugby, with the URC being mooted as a possible destination but a stint in the Champ, the second-tier of English professional rugby with a view to winning promotion back into the Prem looks the most likely outcome.
And there are ambitious plans to bring the Exiles back to the centre of London among the sizeable Irish diaspora.
‘I think they have an arrangement, a verbal agreement with Wimbledon Football Club to use their ground, which is about a 10,000-seater stadium,’ says Dawson, who made 200 appearances for the club.
A general view inside Plough Lane in Wimbledon. Pic: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
‘They’d comfortably fill that every week. It’s in the hotbed of the Irish community in London. I think they’ve been given dispensation to go into the championship and then stay in the championship to then be springboarded into an expanded Premiership.
‘There’s a couple of avenues into it, maybe three avenues. It’s which one they pick. They had a chat with some of the old players. We had a couple of online meetings just to discuss it.
‘What they have at the moment is they have the intellectual rights for the brand and for all the marketing and kit. They’ve partnered with Macron and they sent out some kits to some of the ex-players just to try and generate some interest and send some good luck messages and things through.
Malcolm O’Kelly at London Irish. Pic: Allsport UK /Allsport
‘Some old faces there, Ken O’Connell, Malcolm O’Kelly, Jeremy Davidson, Rob Henderson, Justin Bishop.
‘We all said the same thing. Just take your medicine, go into the championship, and garner some goodwill. Say, we got it wrong, we’ve taken our slap on the wrist. My opinion would be go into the championship, take your medicine and try and work your way back into the partnership again.’
Dawson, who won 21 caps for Ireland, was among a host of Irish players who plied their trade with the club during its heyday.
There have been sustained calls for the IRFU to invest in the club, with a view to making London Irish a ‘fifth province’ to increase the depth of talent across the country.
Irish rugby power brokers have resisted those calls thus far, but Dawson feels a rejuvenated London Irish would be a significant boost to the national team’s cause.
Kieron Dawson of London Irish back in 2005. Pic: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images
‘It would be a great place for loan spells for some of the younger Irish players or fringe players to go out for a few years. It would be a great experience,’ the former Ulster flanker added.
‘If you’re maybe third choice in Leinster, go on loan to London Irish, live in London for six months. See the world.
‘Travel into Europe much more easily. And then if the loan spell goes well, back to your province, it could work really well. It would also be able to offset their wage bill. It’s a win-win for everybody.’