Exclusive: London Irish’s Ollie Hoskins on ‘easy’ decision to re-sign with club
Australia prop Ollie Hoskins has signed a new long-term contract with London Irish – and insists it was an easy decision to recommit to the Premiership rugby club.
“I’ve got a strong connection to the club. This is where I wanted to play and continue to develop my game,” Hoskins told Morning Wire
“I can’t speak for the other boys, I’m sure they’re in the same boat, but it was an easy decision to commit to the club.”
Hoskins assessed options
The deal will take Hoskins, who received his first cap for the Wallabies against England last autumn, to a decade with London Irish.
“I assessed a few options, and going home definitely was one of them,” added the 29-year-old.
“But London Irish and London itself feels like home to me. I’ve been here pretty much for my adult life.
“It’s obviously my place of work and a club that employs me but I have a real love for it.
“They took a chance on me back when I was a kid, when there were a few aspects of my game, especially set-piece wise, that weren’t up to Premiership standard and they still saw potential in me.
“They’ve progressed me and developed me into a player that’s manifested in me being able to play for Australia, which was a dream.”
Kiss and Dec
The prop moved to England from Super Rugby in 2015 and has ridden the London Irish wave up and down between the Premiership and Championship.
Now in with a shot of the Champions Cup places – but without a game this weekend due to a final-round bye – Hoskins’ journey has been one of determination and a desire to grow.
“Kissy [Les Kiss, head coach] and Dec [Kidney, director of rugby] came in as we were getting relegated from the Premiership [in 2018],” Hoskins added.
“They instilled the way we wanted to play in that first Championship season. It’s taken a little bit of time to really understand that and have that consistency in our squad.
“The opportunity to play in the Champions Cup would be something that I would absolutely love to do and something I am very determined to do.
“If it doesn’t happen this year then next year we are going to be flying. I think the Champions Cup is the pinnacle of club footy in the world. It’s where we want to be.”
Aussie hopes
But in choosing London Irish, Hoskins has harmed his chances of being picked for his national side. As of February, rules changed Down Under meaning just three overseas players can be picked in any given international squad.
For Hoskins, who admits that Australia having a game in London aided him in getting his first cap, it’s a tough one to take.
“Unfortunately, that’s the way it is. I understand that I got picked from over here but there was a bit of luck that allowed me to do that,” he said.
“If the laws change again, I’ll definitely put my hand up for selection but at the moment my focus is on making sure that I am as successful as I can be for London Irish because this is the club I really care about.”
Perth-born Hoskins has given everything to the Exile nation across the last six seasons and now bleeds green.
“I love them,” he said of the fans. “I’m the longest serving player in the squad now but I still feel kind of young.
“There’s a core group of fans who have stuck with us through my two trips to the Championship, and from Reading to Brentford, and there’s a bunch of fans that have flocked since.
“We play a very exciting brand of rugby and have treated them, hopefully they get their money’s worth. I think we’ve probably raised their blood pressure because of the brand of rugby we play and the results we’ve had. But I am grateful for the fans and the way they interact with us and are loyal to the club.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here so much and I’ve set my life up. Sure I had a few chats [about going back to Australia] but at the end of the day it was a pretty easy decision for me to stay here.”