Kiss delighted by ‘emotional’ derby win that shows Irish progress

Les Kiss, the London Irish head coach, welcomed an “emotional” derby victory over Harlequins and believes the result has vindicated his team’s voyage of self-discovery. Arriving with just a single win and three draws from their eight Premiership matches, Irish produced an assured performance.

Tries from Agustin Creevy, Rob Simmons and Ben White secured a captivating win, alongside superb centres Benhard van Rensburg and Curtis Rona. Quins landed three tries of their own, with wing Oscar Beard crossing twice either side of Luke Northmore’s finish.

However, early in the second half the Exiles married their attack with tenacity while their opponents were in possession. Van Rensburg and Rona, as well as Tom Pearson and Olly Cracknell, epitomised as much. “I thought it was a great derby game and to get away from a draw is nice. Emotion is a massive part of the game and that came through tonight,” Kiss said.

Of the seminal period in the match, during which Irish held out despite Joe Marler subjecting their scrum to intense pressure, Kiss said: “Our defensive line just kept turning up.” Rona, who won three breakdown turnovers in all, was responsible for the steal that thwarted Harlequins in that instance. The 29-year-old promptly threw a sublime pass to Simmons for the visitors’ second try. White’s snipe then opened up a 22-14 lead.

Although Quins hit back and could have stolen it after a late break, Irish held out. Rona swooped for the decisive steal. Injury to Adam Coleman represented a setback for Irish, but they will be hopeful for points against Newcastle Falcons on Saturday. Harlequins, conversely, have the daunting assignment of a trip to Leicester Tigers.

The absences of Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt and Joe Marchant were felt against Irish. They will be reintegrated quickly, one expects, not least because starting fly-half Tommaso Allan left the field clutching his shoulder in discomfort.