Nick Phipps interview: We’re proud to be misfits at London Irish, that’s our strength

The word culture is thrown about a lot in rugby.

Whether it is Saracens and their ‘wolf pack’ mentality or New Zealand and their ‘no d**kheads’ policy, everyone thinks they can create a spirit to fire them to success.

The same goes for London Irish, who for the past 20 years have had the added difficulty of trying to forge an identity while playing their home matches away from the capital in Reading.

As the club prepare to return to London to share the new Brentford Community Stadium with Brentford football club next season, the squad have finally created their own culture in the most unique way.

“Everyone here is really proud of our misfit culture, of the fact we don’t fit in to a normal key hole,” says scrum-half Nick Phipps.

“We’ve got the Irish, the Scots, the Pacific Islanders, South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders, we’ve got lots of people from around the world and we’ve the ability to be able to take the best from everyone’s styles.

“The Irish and Scots are so good at playing that kick-territory game. The Island boys bring that fun, enjoyment factor.

“Then you have the Aussies who like to throw the ball around, the Kiwis who are so technical in their play — and then the South Africans who are just big! Everyone has got their own sort of yin and yang moments.”

As Phipps explains, Irish’s blend of internationals creates a melting pot of ideas, which comes to life in team meetings.

The latest thrown into the mix is former Argentina captain Agustin Creevy, who arrives with 85 caps.

“He has bashed me a few times every time I’ve played Argentina, so it will be good to have him on the same team,” says Phipps.

“You can tell when you see him, he will be great over here. He has that Argentinian flair, but he can do the tough stuff upfront.”

The man tasked with bringing Irish’s band of misfits together is director of rugby Declan Kidney. The 60-year-old led Ireland to the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009 and Munster to two Heineken Cups.

“He is good, although it took me about three months to figure out what he’s actually saying,” quips Phipps, who is just as quick off the field as he is on it.

“But him and Kissy (head coach Les Kiss) are that perfect mix of old school and new school. We are really excited about the future with them and we want to leave a legacy here.”

It was a brave move for Phipps to leave Australia, for whom he has 72 caps for, and join Irish last year and he admits it has not been easy. This week’s sweltering weather has made him feel more at home, while he has adapted his game to the style of play north of the equator.

“I was taking the Mickey out of the boys, asking whether we are at Hazelwood or Bondi Beach?” says Phipps.

“But it is nice to have a dry ball, dry deck, which I really do think will translate into some good footy.

“Rightly or wrongly, Australians are always attack first and kicking is a last resort, but I feel like I have picked up so many things here — like set-piece domination, field position and tactical kicking. It’s been great.”

The Premiership returns tomorrow night while London Irish, who will share Harlequins’ ground in Twickenham for the rest of the campaign, travel to Bath on Saturday.

After a five-month hiatus, the scrum-half admits there have been a few dropped balls in training and players are feeling nervous.

But there is also a hunger to finish the campaign in style, with London Irish’s current position of eighth in the Premiership likely to secure a spot in next season’s Champions Cup.

“That would be a perfect step up,” says Phipps. “To be able to get in that Champions Cup, that’s the dream, that’s the pinnacle of club rugby in the world.”