Brendan McKibbin will be hoping he can pick up where he left off when London Irish visit Rotherham Titans in the Greene King IPA Championship tomorrow (kick-off 2pm).
The diminutive scrum-half, 31, starts for the first time since scoring a try in the 62-12 victory over London Scottish at the end of October.
Partnering James Marshall at the heart of the Exiles’ backline, McKibbin is relishing more game time against a side he describes as having a ‘big forward pack.’
“We’ve heard it’s a really narrow field so we want to be really direct with our play,” McKibbin told LITV.
“We know Rotherham are going to bring the game to us and they’ve enjoyed some tight wins up there so it’s a challenge we’re willing to accept,” he added.
Nick Kennedy’s men departed Hazelwood on Friday lunchtime and are in good shape following a short turnaround from last Sunday’s 42-29 bonus-point win at home to Jersey Reds.
McKibbin, a try-scorer on four occasions this terms, said: “We’ve had a short turnaround and we’ve just had the two full training days, but preparation has been right up there and we have a few guys coming back in who haven’t played for a week or so – hopefully there’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm come tomorrow afternoon.”
You can watch the full interview by clicking here.
London Irish: 15 Tommy Bell, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Tom Fowlie, 10 James Marshall, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 1 Tom Court*, 2 David Paice (c)*, 3 Ben Franks*, 4 Jerry Sexton, 5 Sebastian De Chaves, 6 Mike Coman, 7 Blair Cowan*, 8 Ofisa Treviranus*
Replacements: 16 Gerard Ellis, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Will Lloyd, 20 Senitiki Nayalo, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Ciaran Hearn*
*Denotes internationals
Tickets are available for the Exiles’ next home game against Cornish Pirates in the B&I Cup by calling 0118 968 1016 or click here.
Hospitality packages are still available for this fixture, starting at just £35 +vat per person. For more information or to buy a package please email [email protected] or call 01932 750 113.
Ad Space