Exiles Clash With Leinster Switched To Twickenham

The London Irish have announced that the sell-out Heineken Cup clash against Leinster on January 23 will move to Twickenham (with a 6pm kick off).

The fixture, originally scheduled to be played at the Madejski Stadium in Reading has been moved due to Reading Football Club's potential progression to the next round of the FA Cup which has now been scheduled for the same weekend.

Reading are set to play Liverpool in an FA Cup third round replay next Wednesday (January 13th), just ten days before the scheduled Heineken Cup fixture, and with tickets about to sell-out for their game, the club has taken the timely decision to move the venue to ensure that supporters on both sides of the Irish Sea have sufficient time to make their rearrangements.

The significant increase in attendance will also give the hugely anticipated match the billing it deserves and does mean that supporters can now get their hands on more tickets.

London Irish have been forced to switch the fixture from the Madejski Stadium to the Twickenham due the possibility of Reading Football Club, who share the Reading based stadium, playing against Burnley in the FA Cup Fourth Round on the same day.

London Irish captain and former Leinster player Bob Casey is relishing taking on his old side Leinster at Twickenham, saying: "Of course it is a shame that we won't be able to play at our home ground, the Madejski Stadium, but we are really excited that more people will be able to come and watch what will be a massive match for both clubs.

"We're going head to head again with a formidable team who share our belief in playing the game in an attacking way and it promises to be 80 minutes of rugby at its best. Both sides have really found their form of late and so we're expecting a big crowd for what should be an excellent match.

"Going to Twickenham Stadium is always an amazing experience for players and supporters alike and we're sure that the atmosphere is going to be fantastic." London Irish head coach Toby Booth added: "There have been a lot of club games played in big stadiums recently and this fixture is certainly worthy of the biggest stage.

"We love playing our rugby at our home in Reading, but this change of location was unavoidable and we're delighted that more of our fans can come and support us on what promises to be an excellent evening of top class rugby."