Kiss: That one meant a lot

Les Kiss admitted Saturday’s victory against Harlequins was extra special - as Irish clinched a second league win of the season on the road thanks to a stirring 22-19 win at the Stoop.

On a momentous afternoon at the home of the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions, Irish were great value for the win, producing a polished performance, to the delight of Kiss.

 “Playing the Premiership champions on their own turf is never easy,” he said.

“It’s a massive win for us - and gives us some real momentum after our two Prem Cup victories.

“It meant a lot to us. I think you could see what it meant at full-time - it was a very happy dressing room.”

Kiss was pleased with how Irish stood up defensively against Quins, praising the collective efforts of the group.

“We talked about our defence all week,” he said, “about how it would play such a big role in us winning this game.

“Obviously you’ve got to play and score tries, but we knew it would ultimately come down to our D.

“The defence that we showed at crucial stages in that second half gave us the platform to get the win.

“Quins are a brilliant team, but we stood up to them well.”

Buoyed by the win, Kiss has now challenged Irish to keep building, adding: “We don’t have a deep legacy about what we are and how we play the game, not like Quins who have had that in place for years.

“We’re still finding out how we put our game together, through training, through the down times and the good times - relationships are building here.

“We feel we’re making positive steps forward - and we need to keep continuing to do that.”