Hatley, a former prop, is now part of the Exiles' coaching team

London Irish coach Neal Hatley believes the club's first fixtures have provided them with a 'very tough start'.

Irish kick off their campaign against Saracens at Twickenham in a repeat of their opening match from the 2009-10 season which they lost 18-14.

Hatley's men then travel to Bath before Gloucester visit the Madejski Stadium.

"Saracens did well last season, Bath caught fire for the last two months, Gloucester showed good signs. But there are no easy games," Hatley said.

The London Irish coach added that the run-in in April was just as difficult.

"Looking at the last four: Wasps, Sharks, Saints and Tigers - it's going be tough," he continued.

"Hopefully we'll be in a position where we won't be needing a lot of points from that last month, but if we want to be challenging those are the sorts of places we need to go and get results. We're going to have to learn to start beating those sides there."

Hatley, who made over 200 appearances for the Exiles, admits he still looks out for the match against Harlequins first. This year's game, scheduled for Boxing Day, looks certain to be played at Twickenham.

"Every chance you get to play at Twickenham in front of 60,000 people is a fantastic occasion," Hatley commented. "We'll be looking forward to that, it's always a big game with those guys."

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