London Irish, 1997-1999
London Irish and Guinness have always been synonymous, a fact reflected by this classic late-90s playing shirt.
Worn by the likes of Niall Woods, British & Irish Lion Jeremy Davidson and former Ireland skipper Niall Hogan, this Exiles shirt was part and parcel of some of the best days at The Avenue, the spiritual former home of London Irish.
The lighter green shade had been swapped for a darker hue, but the obvious uniqueness of the strip was the large Guinness symbol stitched into the baggy fit Cotton Oxford shirt. “The first season of proper professional rugby as we understand it today was 96/97,” explains club historian and former media manager Paddy Lennon, “and London Irish like so many of the other clubs were struggling to find a financial formula which was going to hold out some hope for the future.
“The club had to raise a lot of money, which it did from its members at the time, and it converted itself into a PLC. It went out to raise significant sponsorship, or as much could be raised.”
That was where Guinness came in. “The club was fortunate to have such a great relationship with Guinness and Mike Hughes, the managing director at the time. They were up at Park Royal, which is why there was such a great relationship to see the possibilities of how they could both benefit.
“The association with Guinness goes back to the 1970s. There had been a first uplift in the relationship in the 1980s but then in the 1990s when the professional era dawned, Guinness became the first serious commercial sponsor of London Irish.”
Guinness had already been a featured as the shirt sponsor for the Exiles the year before, the words emblazoned in gold. However, sensitivities around alcohol branding at the time forced the hand of the sponsors to change to the unmistakable dark ruby pint. “People loved it,” says Lennon. “It became iconic. That shirt is iconic, no question. That time was a very happy period at The Avenue. The ground was a place where not only London Irish loved to play but visiting teams loved to play, the hospitality and the ambience of the place made it a favourite ground of many.
“The top bar in the old stand was legendary,” adds Lennon, “as a post-match entertainment venue, for want of a better description.”
The Exiles’ two seasons in this shirt was a transformative period for the club. Not only was the transition to professionalism was enduring, but a change in head coach from Willie Anderson to ‘Lord’ Dick Best brought a reconstruction of the squad including of a number of imports.
It spelt an evolution away from one of the best-loved Exiles squads ever assembled, the club having been able to attract a number of internationals across the Irish sea following the RFU’s turn to professionalism, a move the IRFU had been slower to follow. “In the first two years of the professional era a lot of Irish internationals at the time came to London Irish to play because the IRFU were not able to offer them professional contracts in Ireland” explains Lennon. “You had a lot of Irish internationals were playing for the club: Malcom O’Kelly, Jeremy Davidson to name a few.
“Conor O’Shea, he was club captain at the time, and he’s gone on to coach, starting at London Irish and on to Harlequins, Italy and is now at the RFU. Arguably Conor is one of the highest profile ever to wear the shirt.”
The Irish contingent may have been weakened under Best, much to the consternation of supporters, but Best’s changes to the squad brought almost immediate results. A 62-14 demolition of neighbours Harlequins in late April 1998, the club Best had parted company with the season before, was the start of a rapid ascendency. An 11th place in the 97/98 season was followed the season after by a seventh-place finish, just three seasons after promotion.
The famous strip may have endured for longer if it wasn’t for the mouth-watering £1.25 million sponsorship deal with Aer Lingus, orchestrated largely by Lennon himself, secured for the 1999/2000 season. The club had outgrown itself, the old Avenue ground creaking at 6,600 strong crowds, and sponsorship money was more important than ever.
The shirt will remain strong in the memory as an icon of one of the most interesting times, not just for London Irish but for rugby union.
“I guess the shirt in its own way is a reflection of the transition,” reflects Lennon. “It was a product of branding and clever marketing.”
