Loan Watch and Academy Roundup: Nine Exiles involved for loan Clubs

Loan activity

Three Senior Academy Exiles took to the Richmond Athletic Ground field on Saturday afternoon for Richmond’s Championship encounter with Ealing Trailfinders.

Jack Walsh (wing) and Lucas Brooke (back-row) earned their first respective outings for the south-west Londoners, accompanied by regular Joe Vajner (hooker) from the bench.

Walsh started the game from outside centre and played out 65 minutes, with a notable 60-metre venture up the park in the game’s early stages and was joined later by his Clubmates.

Vajner put in a consistent 35 minutes after replacing Richmond’s Alexander Post, with Brooke entering the fray at the same time and combining with Vajner after a peel off a maul and passing back inside to his hooker.

Brooke also carried with intent, won a jackal turnover and executed a notable offload with a great display of handling, however it wasn’t to be for Rob Powell’s men on derby day, as Trailfinders hit a half century of points.

Elsewhere in the second tier, Bedfordshire’s Ampthill employed Josh Smart (back-row) and Alexander Harmes (wing) in their starting XV against Cornish Pirates, a game the latter came out on top 61-22.

Harmes returned from a spell on the sidelines enforced through injury and played the full 80 minutes, Smart busying himself with another physical performance in the tackle despite the final result.

The two Exiles were later united with Ed Scragg (second-row) who solidified the home outfit’s set-piece, but the men from Penzance took five points to leave Ampthill ninth in the Championship rungs.

Another triumvirate of junior Irish players in Connor Cross (full-back), Louie Kirkham (back-row) and George Makepeace-Cubitt (full-back) returned to represent Londoners Barnes on the road to Canterbury.

Cross was brought into action on numerous occasions from full-back, with fielded kicks aplenty alongside strong attacking running, fellow starter Kirkham too put in an industrious performance on both sides of the ball.

Makepeace-Cubitt was introduced at half-time and served well in Barnes’ offensive gameplan, beating multiple opposing defenders and making two line breaks as the travelling side rose to third in National League 2 East with a 38-15 win.

Return of international action

England under-20’s return from a fallow week to play France in the fourth round of the Under 20 Six Nations at the Recreation Ground.

Three Exiles, Monty Bradbury (fly-half), Afolabi Fasogbon (prop), Calum Scott (hooker) are set to play for Alan Dickens’ outfit, with Bradbury starting, as England look to make it four wins from four in the tournament.

Last time out vs. Wales, England won 37-21 with the aid of Bradbury adding his third try assist of the tournament and the most kicking metres of any player (264), alongside contributions from replacements Fasogbon (five tackles) and Scott (one turnover win, 14 metres gained).

The game against France kicks-off at 8pm on Friday (10th), and will be available to stream live on BBC iPlayer.

Development game

Following on from a recent 72-17 triumph over Bath under-17s, London Irish under-17s return for another development fixture against Midlands West Academy this weekend.

The game is set for this Saturday 11^th March, kicking-off at 2pm at RGS Worcester School.

Best of luck, lads!

London Irish under-17 side to play Midlands West Academy

15 Freddy Rossigneux, 14 Toby Maddock, 13 Max Winter (vc), 12 George Simpson, 11 Tyler Offiah, 10 Filip Edstrom, 9 George Harris; 1 Hunter Deane-Johns, 2 Martin Chalmers, 3 Charlie Holyer, 4 Ollie Agar, 5 Milo Bourguignon, 6 John Edwards, 7 Reggie Hammick (c), 8 Ed Bachelor.

Replacements

16 Hamdan Dawud, 17 Otto Bennett, 18 Alfie Holland, 19 Isaac Sprenger, 20 Owen Beswick, 21 Ben Littlefair, 22 Luc Anfield, 23 Martin Betsen, 24 Rafa Varona-Blakstad.