Exile's survival in their own hands

London Irish director of rugby Conor O'Shea urged his side to follow up today's stunning 20-19 victory over Leicester by securing…

London Irish director of rugby Conor O'Shea urged his side to follow up today's stunning 20-19 victory over Leicester by securing their Zurich Premiership status against relegation rivals Bristol next weekend.

The Exiles upset the history books to record their first-ever league victory at Welford Road this afternoon after edging out four-time defending champions Leicester by the narrowest of margins.

It was only Leicester's second defeat in their last 62 home matches, a run stretching back to December 1997.

Irish can now ensure they will compete in the top flight next season by disposing of Bristol in what promises to be a battle royal at the Madejski Stadium a week today.

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Irish moved off the bottom with today's victory and above Bristol, who face West Country rivals Bath tomorrow.

"It's now in our hands," O'Shea said. "If we win next week we are safe. That's all we care about."

O'Shea also believes their victory today will cause other teams to start looking over their shoulders heading into the final round of fixtures.

"The win brings a lot more teams back (into the relegation fight) who throughout they were safe," he added.

While Irish have all to play for, Leicester's hopes of salvaging something from a dismal season now lie with the goal of reaching next season's Heineken Cup.

No longer can the Tigers reach the play-offs, meaning England will have new champions for the first time in five seasons.

Leicester have been stricken by injuries this campaign and were without a host of internationals for today's match.

And despite taking an early lead through Tim Stimpson's try, Leicester had no answer to the determination of London Irish, for whom Mark Mapletoft kicked 15 points.

By the final stages of the match Leicester looked out on their legs and the end of a long season surely cannot come quick enough for them.

Director of rugby Dean Richards said: "It's very disappointing, in the first half we looked promising, the second half we never turned up."

Welford Road has become an impregnable fortress for the Tigers over the last few seasons but even a sell-out 16,850 crowd could not cheer them to victory.

"Twice now in four or five years, defeat is difficult to accept," Richards said with tongue in cheek.

"Most teams would be dreaming of a record like that, but at the same time, it's not the way we like to do things here. The boys don't think it's acceptable."

Richards is now hoping some of Leicester's walking wounded will be available to help the club sneak into the Heineken Cup via the backdoor.

"We've won it twice and it would be lovely to be in it again," he said.

"We need a bit of a break, we could do with a lot of our injuries coming back and that would make a huge difference to the side.

"Whether they will be able to return or not, we're hopeful that perhaps two or three guys will come back but you never know what might unfold in the changing rooms this week."

Leicester travel to high-flying Gloucester for their final match of the season next weekend.