A consortium led by Eddie Jordan, founder of former Formula 1 team ‘Jordan Grand Prix’ has completed the purchase of the London Irish rugby club.
The former Premiership Rugby club was forced into administration in June 2023 after it was unable to pay its players. The London club, who were once Premiership and Challenge Cup runners-up less than 20 years ago, fell on a downward spiral following their move to the Gtech Stadium.
Jordan competed in Formula 1 with his team from 1995 to 2005 and is the only Irish team to have done so. The team won four Grand Prix’s, most notably at the famous 1998 Belgian Grand Prix when Damon Hill secured a 1-2 finish for the outfit in treacherous conditions.
Strangford Ellis Ltd are the new official owners and are managed by the ‘Jordan Associates’ consortium. The team “will now turn its attention to negotiating a full and sustainable return for London Irish to competitive rugby, hand-in-hand with London Irish’s supporter base”.
Reports surfaced after the purchase that the team will attempt to leave the English rugby pyramid, and instead join the Ultimate Rugby Championship (URC). This move, however, is set to be blocked by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
The URC is played by teams in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa. Premiership Rugby Limited is sceptical of Jordan’s plan but has stated that it believes the matter lies entirely with the RFU.
If or when a move to the URC is rejected, London Irish may have to focus on regaining admission to the second tier of English rugby. The reformed Worcester Warriors, who just similarly went into administration, confirmed their formal application to rejoin the second tier. Despite this possibility for London Irish, the future looks bright for now.
