EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER FINAL: London Irish v Bourgoin:LONDON IRISH boss Toby Booth has predicted "a tough contest" against European Challenge Cup quarter-final opponents Bourgoin tonight. Victory for the Exiles would secure a semi-final tie – also at the Madejski Stadium.
But Booth, whose starting line-up features nine internationals under the captaincy of England lock Nick Kennedy, insists Bourgoin will not be taken lightly.
“We know we are in for a tough contest,” he said. “Bourgoin are a strong team and they have a squad with real depth. They defeated Dax 43-6 last Friday night in what was a typically uncompromising French relegation battle, and with their future in the French Top 14 assured, the European Challenge Cup is an attractive prize.”
Top seeds Irish have recorded seven successive victories in the tournament this season. They dropped just one point out of a possible 30 in sweeping aside pool stage opponents Connacht, Dax and Rovigo and Booth fields a side including Kennedy, England backs Delon Armitage, Topsy Ojo and Peter Richards plus flanker Steffon Armitage. Bourgoin are spearheaded by France international scrumhalf Morgan Parra, who is moving to Clermont Auvergne at the end of the season.
LONDON IRISH: D Armitage; T Ojo, S Mapusua, C Gower, S Tagicakibau; P Hewat, P Richards; D Murphy, D Coetzee, T Lea'aetoa, N Kennedy [capt], J Hudson, K Roche, S Armitage, R Thorpe. Replacements: C Dermody, D Paice, G Johnson, C Hala'Ufia, J Fisher, P Hodgson, A Thompstone
BOURGOIN: A Forest; R Coetzee, D Janin, Y David, J Coux; B Boyet, M Parra; A Tchougong, J Genevois, K Wihongi, C Basson, C Levast, J Frier, W Jooste [capt], Y Labrit. Replacements: P Cardinali, W Roux, T Genevois, B Leonte, M Forest, M Viazzo, F Denos
Referee: Peter Allan(Scotland).
