Premiership Rugby Cup final: London Irish urged to be wary of 'bridesmaids' tag against Exeter Chiefs

Worcester Warriors beat London Irish on tries scored after extra time in the 2022 final

London Irish must be wary of being the "bridesmaids" against Exeter Chiefs in Sunday's Premiership Rugby Cup final, says director of rugby Declan Kidney.

The Exiles lost last year's showpiece final to Worcester and are looking to end a 21-year wait for a trophy.

The Chiefs won the Premiership title in 2017 and 2020, when they also did the double with the Champions Cup.

"Exeter have a recent record of winning lots of trophies and are used to closing the deal," said Kidney.

"They come with experience. We'll have to bridge a 21-year gap by seeing if can we win a trophy. I'm setting us up as the bridesmaids there aren't I?"

Last year's final was dramatically won by Worcester on tries scored after extra time following a 25-25 draw.

Exeter edged the first league meeting between the sides, running out narrow 22-17 winners at Sandy Park in November, although Irish sit one place higher, in fifth, than Chiefs in the Premiership table.

For cup matches the Chiefs are led by skills coach Ricky Pellow, who believes the team have been building towards Sunday's match at the Gtech Community Stadium.

"We are in another final and we are massively pleased as a coaching group, but also pleased for this group of players", Pellow told BBC Spotlight.

"We've grown throughout the group stages and we've played some tough games in some tough conditions."

'Two elements: emotions and tactics'

The season has certainly not gone the way the Chiefs would have wanted, given they are a team that have finished runners-up on four occasions - on top of their two Premiership wins - in the past seven years.

"We've been growing as a group and not just learning on the field but also off it and we go into Sunday in a really strong position both physically and mentally," Pellow continued.

"There's two elements to it: the emotional side and the tactical side. We'll draw on the emotional side but it's how you put that energy into the right areas.

"As we build up, we will draw on that (the emotions). When we come to Sunday it's about who can keep that fight but also maintain their discipline and put it into the right areas."

Kidney, who led Ireland to the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009 but departed the role in 2013, is in his fifth year with Irish and helped lead the team to the Championship and promotion back to the top flight in his first season.

The following year - the 2019-2020 season in which Saracens were relegated for breaching salary cap rules. - they came 10th ahead of Leicester, and they have finished ninth and eighth in the past two campaigns.

"It's been a brilliant experience, it's been a fantastic journey so far and long may it continue," Kidney told BBC Radio London.

"This is what you work so hard for - to get to these matches - and it's just about enjoying the journey and enjoying each moment as it goes along. It's brilliant to be involved in a final.

"We had the experience from last year - it can be a brilliant day or you can have different emotions on it - but to be involved in it at this stage is great for us and for the club."

Sunday's line-ups

London Irish: Stokes; Williams, Joseph, Hitchcock, Dykes; Atkins, O'Sullivan; Gigena, Ruiz, Chawatama, Caulfield, Munga, Cooke (capt), Basham, Fa'aso'o.

Replacements: Cornish, Haffar, Parker, Scragg, Gonzalez, Englefield, Poolman, Harmes.

Exeter Chiefs: Wyatt; Feyi-Waboso, O'Brien, Hendrickson, O'Loughlin; Jenkins, Cairns; Southworth, Innard (capt), Schickerling, Williams, Dunne, Tshiunza, Davis, Tuima.

Replacements: Harris, Kenny, Iosefa-Scott, Teague, Kirsten, Becconsall, Devoto, John.