LONDON Irish’s unbeaten run in the Greene King IPA Championship finally came to an end as they were beaten 15-11 at Jersey Reds, writes Richard Ashton.

Exiles had won their previous 17 games to ensure they will finish the campaign at the top of the table, but their dreams of completing a perfect campaign were halted in the Channel Islands.

Things started perfectly for the visitors as their forwards showcased their power, setting a platform for scrum half Scott Steele to snipe over for an 11th-minute try. The returning Theo Brophy-Clews was unable to add the extras, but Irish led 5-0.

Jersey hit back on the half-hour mark, however, and crossed the whitewash themselves when Nick Scott beat the despairing Alex Lewington to go in at the corner.

A Ben Ransom drop goal shortly before the interval put Nick Kennedy’s men back in front, but the scores were level at 8-8 when Callum Sheedy landed a penalty.

Exiles scored the first points of the second period as Brophy-Clews banged over a penalty, but the home side began to take control.

They had to wait until the 77th minute for their moment, though, with Gary Graham barging his way over to put his side in front. Sheedy added the extras to make it 15-11, and Irish were unable to snatch another score.

A reflective Kennedy confessed: “Credit must go to Jersey as they were superb in every department.

“Our performance wasn’t up to standard, which was disappointing and we will need to do better in our next game.”

However, he added: “We’ve had a great season so far and we are in a good place at the moment – one defeat isn’t going to affect our plans as we prepare for the play-offs.

“We will analyse the game as a team and as individuals and work from there.”

Kennedy also paid tribute to the club’s supporters, with more than 1,000 making the trip to the Channel Islands.

He said: “The supporters have been fantastic throughout the season both home and away, and they really stepped it up at the weekend.

“I’d like to apologise to the supporters for not giving them the performance that they deserved – the players, staff and everyone at the club is entirely grateful for their unwavering backing.”

London Irish will have an early shot at revenge when they host Jersey in the British & Irish Cup semi finals on Sunday (2pm).