LONDON Irish owner Mick Crossan has paid overdue April wages, just minutes before players were preparing to submit breach-of-contract notices. 

Players and staff should have been paid last Friday, but were still waiting for their salaries on Thursday afternoon. 

On the advice of the Rugby Players' Association, the Exiles squad set a deadline of 5pm on Thursday, but Crossan, who is in protracted talks to sell the club, has now covered the wages, averting further chaos. 

The breach-of-contract notices would have meant players were free to leave the west London-based club if wages were not received within 14 days. 

It means tomorrow's Premiership match with Exeter Chiefs can proceed as planned, with Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney praising the attitude of the club's staff in the difficult circumstances.

He said: "You wouldn't notice any difference in how people are approaching this match.

"The whole organisation of 130 people that work here are fantastic people to work with. 

"I can't speak highly enough of the quality of players, in terms of their application and positivity. Everybody is getting on with the job and preparations are in full swing.

"This is a really important match for us, and as such I haven't had to pick them up because of the people they are."

The players were told on Tuesday they would be paid that day, but funds had still not arrived until yesterday.

Kidney added: "You wouldn't be human if there weren't different things going through your mind.

"But I can't reiterate strongly enough how good everyone is in working towards the match. I know we are a professional team but these lads are about way more than money, they have been working away all week and I haven't had to pick them up. 

"We have been given a lot of assurances from the prospective new ownership that [payment] will happen over the coming days.

"I think you can draw too many comparisons between us and other teams, and I think it would be wrong to do that.

"It's unfortunate but we trust the owners and prospective owners will come to a positive resolution for everybody involved here."