Simmons has faith Irish can bridge gap in consistency
ROB Simmons says consistency is the ingredient London Irish need if they are to build on their improvement this season and challenge for the Premiership title in the coming years.
The Exiles’ campaign finished yesterday as they are not involved in Friday night’s European Challenge Cup final and they have a bye in the last round of the Premiership on June 4 and cannot make the play-offs.
They blew their chance of silverware last week when home advantage was not enough to help them overcome Worcester in the final of the Premiership Cup. The match was drawn 25-25 after extra-time but the Warriors claimed the trophy through scoring three tries to one.
“The club has been up and down for a number of years but we have shown this season that we want to be a successful top flight team,” said the Wallaby second row Simmons who has a year remaining on his contract with Irish.
“There is a lot of growth in this team with so many young players coming through. I knew when I signed that I was not joining the world’s best team. No one tried to deceive me and I wanted to help the project.
“It is tracking well but there is still a way to go. When you look at the top teams in the Premiership, consistency is a quality they all have in common and that is what we have to aim for.”
England coaches for years hardly bothered with London Irish, but Eddie Jones is in regular contact with the club and named three of the Exiles’ academy graduates in his training squad last week, full-back Henry Arundell, centre Will Joseph and flanker Tom Pearson.
“I have not seen a 19year-old cause such a stir as Henry Arundell has,” said Simmons. “He is just scratching the surface and, as we have seen in training, he still has so much more to give.
“The length of the field try he scored in Toulon defied belief and he just has to make sure that he dos not get ahead of himself. I was a rugby fan when Matt Giteau first burst on the scene and he was someone who also made people think about defence completely differently, Quade Cooper another. You see some freaky things in training.”
Simmons, whose former Australia second row partner Adam Coleman is also in harness at Irish, has no regrets about moving to the other side of the world and playing in a league which is very different to Super Rugby.
“It took me a while to get my head around three competitions in one season, but I am enjoying it,” said the 33-year-old, who won the last of his 106 caps at the end of 2020 ahead of his move to England.
“The matches are like Tests and they bring challenges. I hope I am setting an example for young players at London Irish. I come to training still thinking I am a young man. I have aged a bit but I am always looking to improve and compete.”