Scrum-half Ben Meehan believes Saturday’s victory against Gloucester is yet further proof that London Irish are being rewarded for all their hard work on the training ground.

The recent two-week gap in fixtures owing to COVID-19 protocols provided a window for Irish to focus on an extended period of training at Hazelwood – and since then, Declan Kidney’s side have registered back-to-back bonus-point victories in the Gallagher Premiership.

Speaking in the wake of Saturday’s 32-26 win over Gloucester, that lifted Irish into sixth spot, Meehan said: “I can't remember the last time we went back-to-back with bonus-point wins to be honest, so it was a pleasing result for us.

“Look, it was scrappy at the end, we know that, but we won the game with a bonus-point victory, and that was the aim before the game, so we're really pleased.

“We feel we're heading in the right direction, game after game. Of course, there's always room for improvement and we speak about that regularly, but we're where we are on merit and we just want to keep making positive steps forward.”

He added: “We got flogged in that two-week gap when the European games were canned, but I think we've seen the benefits of that already in our last two performances.

“We were spewing that the games got cancelled, but we used it to our advantage, and we've reaped the rewards against Newcastle and Gloucester.”

Irish are now unbeaten in three Gallagher Premiership outings in 2021 – with two wins and a draw so far – and Meehan is in buoyant mood, despite a tough run of fixtures on the immediate horizon.

The Exiles travel to Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, before games against Bristol Bears (h) and Wasps (a) conclude a hectic February schedule.

“We've got some tough games coming up, but I'm looking forward to it, to see where we're at,” said Meehan.

“For me, Exeter is the hardest place to go in the competition, but we'll go there in good spirits after our last two performances.

“We’re excited about the games coming up – let's see how we go!”

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