Allinson: London Irish will help me
London Irish scrum-half Darren Allinson says he is over the disappointment of his time at Cardiff and feels that playing in the Premiership will help him improve massively.
Allinson signed a two-year deal with the Premiership outfit this summer. He admits that he got the blues as soon as he signed the deal because he wanted to make a bigger impression during his time at Cardiff.
However, he had a very frustrating time in Wales and made only 11 appearances. He has never really started his career but says that London Irish represent a clean slate and a chance to show why he deserves to play in the Wales national side.
Allinson is not a bad player, he has many qualities and has just been hampered by a few unfortunate circumstances. His lack of experience is a little bit worrying and it could force him in to making some errors but he has to learn somewhere.
Allinson's qualities
London Irish would have noticed this player's ambition and drive straight away. As soon as he realised things were not working out at Cardiff, and would not change, he sought a move away from the club to try and kick-start his career.
He is well built and looks very intimidating for a scrum-half. This will allow London Irish to use him in packs and scrums. This can add a lot of weight to the team as the side look to drive up the field or turn the ball over.
His lack of experience can be seen as something positive by coaches at the club. He has no mental scars of playing in the Premiership or from falling out of the Wales national team. It seems the only way for him to go is up.
He said: "I was pretty happy there initially. But after Gareth Cooper was brought in I was battling with him and Richie Rees and found it very hard to get a game. I had more games at the end of last season, which I was pleased about, but I’d already decided to join London Irish by then."
Lack of experience
The club will try to put a positive spin on Allinson's lack of experience. However, you cannot ignore that it means the club will be very reluctant to throw him in at the deep end during high pressure Premiership games.
A player who plays rugby at a pace never experienced before is odds on to go and make a variety of errors. These errors can cost points and the best thing for the club to do is to ease Allinson into the league and club life.
He added: "My agent had told me a couple of clubs were interested and when London Irish were mentioned I spoke to Richie as he is a good friend – When I spoke to Toby Booth and Mike Catt they said that the No. 9 position is up for grabs."
Betting advice
London Irish will be a very good outside bet for the title this season. They lack a little bit of quality to be the odds on favourites but they can pull off a title win if things go their way. Don't part with a life-changing amount of money.
Avoid betting on Allinson until you have seen how he fits into the team and the role he is going to have. There is no guarantee that he'll play in any of the first three or four matches and if you back him, you may be automatically putting yourself in the red. Keep this in mind but act instantly if all of the early signs are very good.
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