LONDON Irish will play Yorkshire Carnegie in the Greene King IPA Championship play-off final after a thumping victory over Doncaster Knights.

The Exiles followed up their 35-5 victory in the semi-final first leg in Doncaster with a 39-22 success in the second leg at Madejski Stadium on Saturday.

That meant an impressive aggregate victory of 74-25 over the two semi final games and Irish, who finished top of the table, will be firm favourites to beat Carnegie and seal a top-flight return at the first time of asking.

Doncaster deserved credit for bouncing back from their heavy defeat in the first leg to push Irish all the way at the weekend.

But Exiles edged it by five tries to three in front of a bumper crowd in excess of 4,500.

Irish hooker David Paice got the scoreboard moving with a 10th-minute try to add to his brace in the first leg, with Tommy Bell landing the conversion.

Bracknell News:

Exiles hooker David Paice powers through a Doncaster tackle.

But Doncaster replied immediately when flanker Jack Ram bundled his way over from close range for an unconverted score.

The hosts regrouped and Alex Lewington scorched over in the corner with Bell's touchline conversion making 14-5.

Bell then traded penalties with Dougie Flockhart before Doncaster grabbed a second try before the break when Matt Challinor peeled off a maul to cross out wide. Flockhart added the extras to leave the visitors 17-15 behind at the interval, but 52-18 down overall.

However, the Exiles turned the screw after the restart as World Cup winner Ben Franks scored his eighth try of the season which Bell embellished, then the league's to points scorer landed another penalty for a 25-15 lead.

Bracknell News:

Alex Lewington was one of five London Irish tryscorers in the semi-final second leg.

Irish pulled further away soon after when replacement hooker Dave Porecki burrowed over from a maul following a driving lineout. Again, Bell was on target to make it 32-15.

Yet Doncaster refused to lie down and were rewarded for their efforts with a third touchdown when Joe Sprotson powered over from close range.

But London Irish had the final say when man-of-the-match Brendan McKibbin made way for Scott Steele, the replacement scrum-half notching a fifth try late on to round off an entertaining semi final.

The Exiles will now travel to Yorkshire Carnegie, who beat Ealing Trailfinders in the other semi final, for the first leg of the final on Wednesday, May 17.

The return leg at Madejski Stadium takes place on Wednesday, May 24, with both matches kicking off at 7.45pm in front of Sky Sports cameras.

London Irish: Bell, Lewington, Tikoirotuma, Fergus Mulchrone, Cokanasiga (Tonks 38), Marshall, McKibbin, Hobbs-Awoyemi, Paice (c) (Porecki 62), Franks (Hoskins 60), De Chaves (George Robson 66), Sinclair, Coman (Gilsenan 66), Cowan, Treviranus.

Doncaster Knights: Jarvis, Flockhart, Bulumakau, Hayes, Lewis, Humberstone (Cusack 66), Heaney (Edgerley 63), List (Bergmanas 60), Hunter (Nelson 60), WillGriff John (Sproston 60), Challinor (Nolan 63), Williams, Ram, Hills (c) (Carpenter 65), Shaw.

Referee: Matt O’Grady.

Attendance: 4,644.