Playing for London Irish meant so much to me

MY LIFE IN RUGBY
JACOB ATKINS THE FORMER LONDON IRISH AND ROVIGO CENTRE

Some of my favourite memories in rugby are not about trophies or big stadiums. They are instead walking past the pubs around Brentford after a home game, still in my London Irish tracksuit, and sticking my head through the door to say hello.
When Irish moved back into west London, all the pubs near Kew Bridge were rammed with supporters and locals. There was no parking at the stadium, so we would park further out and walk in and out on match days. It sounds like a small thing, but those walks were everything. You…