London Irish suspended as takeover deal collapses

Irish follow Worcester and Wasps out of league this season

London Irish have been suspended from the Premiership Pic: Zac Goodwin/PA

The shrinking map of English professional club rugby has lost another familiar name following London Irish’s formal ejection from the Premiership. The Exiles are the third Premiership club inside nine months to dissolve financially, reducing the country’s flagship league to 10 teams and leaving around 100 players and staff jobless.

As widely anticipated, the mooted US consortium failed to complete their proposed takeover of the club by the deadline of 4pm on Tuesday, triggering the club’s complete removal from the English league pyramid. The London Irish amateur club still compete at level 6, however, so the 125-year-old club identity will not entirely vanish off the radar.