London Irish to play first match at Brentford Community Stadium against Leicester Tigers on November 29

London Irish will play their first match at Brentford Community Stadium on November 29 when they face Leicester Tigers in the second round of the new Premiership season.

The new season – inevitably delayed by Covid-19 – is set to begin on November 21, a Friday night, with Harlequins taking on Exeter at the Stoop.

At this stage the new season appears likely to begin behind closed doors, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson poured cold water on hopes of fans being back in sports grounds over the next few months.

Rugby’s leaders have since called for a government bailout with fears that clubs – reliant on attendance – will go to the wall without support. It is still unclear when the Championship, where Saracens will be playing after their relegation for breaking the salary cap, will begin, but it appears unlikely to be until the new year.

Irish have played in Reading for the last 20 years but return to London in Brentford’s new stadium. Exiles Director of Rugby Declan Kidney expressed his delight at the move: “After years of work to make the dream of playing at Brentford a reality, it’s great to see it down as our home venue for the 2020/21 season and beyond.”

Harlequins do not currently have a “Big Game” scheduled at Twickenham Stadium between Christmas and New Year. They have held such a fixture for the last 12 years, but are currently due to face Bristol at the Stoop in one of five Boxing Day fixtures, then travel to Worcester on New Years’ Day.

There are two rounds of the 2019/20 season to run over the next five days. Last night, Harlequins lost their penultimate game of the season, Chris Robshaw’s last at home, as high-flying Wasps fought back from 20-8 down to win 32-23 following Elia Elia’s red card.