The Declan Kidney Transcript: Every Word Of His London Irish Update

After days of media speculation arising on the back of payday being missed last Friday, London Irish Director of Rugby Declan Kidney hosted a media briefing Thursday to shed light on what has been happening at the Gallagher Premiership club. 

The Exiles are fifth on the table and looking to clinch what would be their highest finish in over a decade.

However, all the talk heading into Saturday’s final-round home clash versus Exeter has been about off-field matters – the non-payment of wages, the status of takeover talks with American investors and the possibility that this weekend’s game might not go ahead.

Rather than remain silent and allow the speculation to dominate, Kidney decided to honor his media commitments heading into the Exeter game by hosting a Zoom call that attracted the biggest attendance they have had this season, with more than 20 people in the call. 

Here is a Q&A on how it all unfolded, starting with a two-and-a-half-minute introduction from Kidney, before he took questions from the floor:

Declan Kidney: Thanks for joining us. I don’t have any great statement, but I will just tell you what I know, because obviously, we have been in the news during the week. 

There are obviously very sensitive negotiations going on at the moment between the owners and the respective buyers. Because payday has ended up in the middle of all that, that has highlighted something.

I can inform you that no employee here – players, staff – have been paid as of yet, OK, but we have been given a lot of assurances from the prospective new ownership that will happen over the coming days. So, a bit like player negotiations, because of the sensitivities of them, it is very difficult to talk about them.

I wouldn’t know a whole lot about them anyway, because it is between the owner and the prospective owners. But where I can answer it, I will definitely answer it. If I can’t answer it, I will just say I can’t answer that one. 

Some of us know each other a long time now, and if it comes to a probing question where I think, ‘look we are not going to get anywhere,’ I will just say next. I have too much respect for people on this call to have a foolish press conference.

You could start off with a joke that I never knew a fifth, sixth, seventh-place match would create such a media interest, but things are too serious to go down that line, so let’s have it that I will answer all the questions I can. If I can’t I will say I can’t, and if it gets to the stage where we are not going anywhere, I’ll just say ‘next.’ If we get to three ‘nexts,’ for the sake of everybody’s sanity, we will just call it at that. Is that OK with people?

We will get the best return out of it like that. I have to say something on behalf of Bill (Pulling) and comms. I know there has been frustration that there wasn’t comms going out since this all kicked off at the start of the week, but because the comms would have to be signed off by ownership…