Dermody joined the Exiles in October 2007

London Irish's new captain Clarke Dermody says he will bring a new style of leadership to the club.

He replaces Bob Casey, who has lost the captaincy after three years.

The 30-year-old New Zealander told BBC Berkshire: "I'm probably the complete opposite of how Bobby captains - I'm a more quiet sort of guy.

"I'm not a cheerleader so in that respect, I'll rely heavily on guys like Bob, Paul Hodgson and Delon Armitage to provide that for me".

He added: "I'm more of a leader from the front and will let my game do the talking for me. It'll be my job to keep the guys on task, pinpoint certain aspects of the game that we need to concentrate on as opposed to hyping guys up."

Dermody, who joined the Exiles in October 2007, said he had no hesitation in taking the job once head coach Toby Booth approached him.

"I've had a bit of experience in New Zealand with it, so I jumped at the opportunity to captain a Premiership side - it ranks pretty highly on lists of achievements."

Dermody said that Casey has made it an easy transition.

"Obviously he's disappointed as he's led the team so well for a period of time," he said. "But Toby thought it was time for a change and I'm really happy to take over.

"Bob's been really good. He's really supportive of me and he'll still lead the way he always has and the transition has been pretty smooth."

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