LONDON Irish hooker David Paice says the club is a “pleasure to play for” after confirming he will stay with Exiles for next season’s Green King IPA Championship.

But the front row has warned his teammates they will have to be on their mettle to secure an instant return to the top flight following the disappointment of relegation from the Aviva Premiership.

He said: “The Championship is very hard rugby week in, week out and the competition will test us to the limit. That said, there is huge potential at London Irish and we want to return to the Premiership at the first time of asking.

"Once back in the top tier, not only do we want to retain our status each year, we also want to thrive.”

He continued: “Going down to the Championship allows us to take stock of where we are and what went wrong last season and the seasons before.

“We haven’t really progressed as a club in the last few years and we need to change that.”

Paice – who is the club’s longest serving current player having been at Madejski Stadium for 13 seasons – added: “This club is an absolute pleasure to play for and I’ve met a lot of people during my time here that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life.”

  • UTILITY back Andy Symons has reneged on his agreement to join London Irish and will instead play for Gloucester next season.