Focus on London Irish: John O'Sullivan talks to Bob Casey about the Exiles' brilliant season and last Sunday's astonishing win

London Irish shredded the record books on Sunday when thrashing the former Heineken European Cup winners London Wasps 56-37. It was arguably the high point to date in a season of peaks.

Nine tries at Wasps' Causeway citadel is an astonishing achievement; the context is encapsulated in the fact Lawrence Dallaglio and his cohorts have not been beaten there in the Guinness Premiership since January 2005.

The win confirmed the Exiles' place in next season's European Cup, secured their place in the end-of-season Premiership play-offs and extended their sequence of away wins to 11.

Continuing the breathless list of accomplishment, London Irish set a club try-scoring record for a Premiership game in the process and became the first team to score 50 league tries this season, an average of 2.4 per game.

There was also the rather more mundane matter of a first victory over Wasps in nine clashes between the teams.

Last summer in an interview with this paper, the newly-appointed London Irish coach, Brian Smith, outlined his goals for the club; one was a place in the top four.

It seemed a mite ambitious at the time, but the Australian-born former Ireland outhalf has fleshed out that ambition with stunning precision. He was understandably jubilant after Sunday's game.

"It was an extraordinary performance and Toby Booth (forwards coach) and I are very proud of the team's efforts," said Smith.

"Never in all my years in the game, either as player or coach, have I been involved in a game like that against a team that has been triple champions and Heineken Cup winners."

One other footnote to the evening match was Bob Casey's try in his 100th game for the club; he was the only London Irish forward to score and the only Irish-born member of the team.

He enthused, "It was brilliant. At one stage I remember thinking this is absolutely ridiculous, nine tries.

"It's been an unbelievable season, and making the top four (they play Saracens in their final league game this weekend) is a tremendous achievement. If you consider that we have finished 10th, 11th and 11th in the last three seasons, I thought making the top six this season would be a great feat.

"I said this to some of the lads in pre-season. Maybe it's being Irish and slightly pessimistic but I thought that talk of a top-four place wasn't being realistic.

"Some of the lads have got stuck into me over that. There's a huge confidence in the club and real quality in terms of the personnel. I think nine players were brought in and we have that strength in depth."

Casey, who has signed a new contract with the club, had won a Celtic League title with Leinster, his only silverware since his schooldays with Blackrock College.

That could change as the season reaches a climax. To complement Irish's league odyssey, they have also secured a place in the European Challenge Cup final, against Gloucester at the Stoop on Sunday, May 21st.

Casey paid tribute to the coaching axis of Smith and Booth.

"Brian has been excellent, so too, especially from my perspective, our forwards coach, Toby Booth. He's unbelievable and will definitely coach England some day.

"The coaching team identify specific things for each game. It's not simply a question of turning up for training and doing the same things.

"There is an environment of challenging players. This year we'e gone up a level. There's a great camaraderie between what I suppose might be considered a league of nations, with players from Samoa, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland. There are no egos and everyone is prepared to work hard for each other and the club.

"In the past there was probably a culture of when players made mistakes they would retreat into their shells. We have upped our skill levels and are confident that we can beat any team on the day.

"There is also a realisation that we have not won anything yet but we have given ourselves every chance."

Nor do London Irish appear to be content to rest on their laurels. the Pacific Islanders XV centre Seilala Mapusua has signed and will arrive at the club at the end of October.

The Exiles are set to confirm several more signings over the coming months.

For Casey there is the prospect of keyhole surgery to scope a troublesome knee, but not before he hopes to fill his boots . . . with silverware.