Booth focusing on Premiership
London Irish coach Toby Booth admits he wants his team to focus on the Premiership this season even though the club will be in three different competitions.
Booth says that an improved finish in the Premiership, on the sixth place the club achieved last season, is far more important than a cup run in the LV Cup or the Heineken Cup this season.
The Premiership is the club's bread and butter and a higher place finish would show the club are progressing. It would also mean a number of benefits including the prospect of greater prize money.
Booth should be praised rather than criticised for this piece of news because there are obvious positives to focusing on just one competition. However, nothing can stop the adrenaline from kicking in during a cup game and London Irish have to be considered challengers on all fronts.
Positives of focus
The main positive of focusing on a single competition is that Booth will not have to keep one eye on a cup game and players that he may rest for another game.
This means he can pick the best side for every single Premiership game and the only thoughts at the club will be of winning that particular game. Any cup matches or problems within the playing squad will be dealt with after each Premiership game.
There is no guarantee that a cup run is going to last for a long time. Weaker sides raise their game during cup competitions to produce results that would not appear in a league. The Premiership is a fixed and long competition that will allow Booth to experiment over a large number of games, something he couldn't do on a cup run.
He said: "If you look at the squad sizes in general, the ability for teams to fight consistently on two fronts has changed. We had a chuckle about operation budgets in France compared to England. Bayonne have increased their budget by 4.3million euros (£3.52m) – they have increased it by the wage cap we actually work under."
The magic of a cup
A lot can be said and discussed about whether a cup competition is important but cup games often generate unique atmospheres and this could be beneficial for the club.
If Booth uses the cup games as a chance to rest players he considers important for league matches then younger and inexperienced players will get a chance to play. They will raise their game and allow adrenaline to take over during a cup game. If they play well then Booth will have more headaches than he started with.
He added: "From that point of view it makes it tough, not just for us but for everyone – keeping our players fresh is something we have always prided ourselves on – it becomes more important because the competition doesn't get any easier."
Betting advice
On this news you can bet on London Irish more confidently when the Premiership starts. Booth seems very determined to surprise a few people in the league this season and the club have a large enough squad to be pushing for the title next season. Keep this in mind if you want to be a little more cautious and wait a few games.
Map out when the cup games are going to be on a calendar. If the side are playing a big team in the Premiership after a cup game then they have a better chance of winning because they should have a slightly fresher team. Do this throughout the season and take advantage of some of the matches that London Irish could spring a few surprises in.
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