London Irish will play their home matches at Reading's Madejski Stadium next season. Irish have reached agreement with Reading Football Club to use the impressive 25,000-seater venue.

The switch means an end - after just one season - to the Exiles' Stoop groundshare with Premiership rivals Harlequins.

Irish join Saracens (Watford), Wasps (QPR) and Bristol (Bristol Rovers) as the fourth Premiership club currently using soccer facilities.

Irish will continue to base their administration and player-training operations at their old ground in Sunburyon-Thames, where upgrading work will start shortly.

Meanwhile, Queensland won the Australian national rugby championship yesterday with a 23-16 victory over the ACT Brumbies. The Brumbies scored two tries to Queensland's one at Ballymore but paid the price for their indiscipline.