By Worried of Whitton
March 15 2007

Quins travel to Gloucester this weekend for the penultimate away match of the season. Kick off at Kingsholm is at 3pm on Saturday March 17th. After some thrilling matches and a string of victories, in recent weeks, Quins have had just two bonus points to show for their labours over the past 2 weeks.

Away at Kingsholm is never easy and a bonus point from this fixture has to be looked on as good result. 

After their victory against Leicester last Sunday, Gloucester have climbed to second place in the table and with a game hand, to played next weekend, could well find themselves as Premiership league winners at the end of April. Quins hopes and dreams of a top four finish have gone and a possible top six finish is not as clear as it had once been. Quins need to get back on track.  After a string of thrilling matches and some good results at home and away, Quins season has started to falter. After such a promising start at home against Wasps last Saturday, was thrown away in a match Quins could have and should have won. They should have been further ahead by half time.

  

As part of their award winning match day experience the sell out crowd a The Stoop were entertained by the police dogs of the Metropolitan Police. It was a shame that the police had left the pitch and were unable to prevent the spate of GBH which broke out during the second half, as Wasps literally fought their way back into the match. It was just like Crufts; at half time we had been entertained by German Shepherd, and Springer Spaniels, in the second half it was the turn of the Boxers. As one Quins supporter said to me at the end of the match, “We were mugged”.     I was expecting two letters of apology this week, one each from the two team captains; an apology from Mr.Volley about the way we played into their hands and gave the game away – Quins had no answer and  from Mr. D about the underhand way their victory was obtained. 

The bonus point did take Quins to their pre season target of 40 points, and this has been achieved with four games still to play. Whilst still not mathematically safe from relegation, it is certain that this will not happen, as the team below us in the table sort it out amongst themselves.

There was a lot of expectation last weekend for a home win, and this week there is about as much expectation for an away defeat this weekend. Gloucester are a very difficult side to play especially at Kingsholm. Whilst Quins will be without Strettle and Easter on England duty, Gloucester will also be without a number of their key players. Tindall and Morgan, who have been with the England squad are both ruled out through injury but in addition they also lose Rory Lawson to Scotland and Marco Bortolami and Carlos Nieto to Italy.  That leaves a string nucleus of players which have not quite made it to become regulars in the National side, possibly due to being associated with he old guard and the debacle of the autumn internationals, namely Anthony Allen and Peter Richards yet can prove their worth in the Cherry and White shirts. Simpson Daniel, Buxton and Forrester will also prove more than a handful for Quins.

Quins season is not yet over with four matches to go, and they will be playing to salvage some reward from this and the other three matches yet to play. A top six finish s still achievable and the squad will want to put aside the bitter disappointment of last weekend, and to finish on a high as they go into a two week break. Next weekend the stagger of the postponed matches unwinds as the six teams who have played one match less than the others meet the results will then give a clearer indication as to possible final positions, and may well have resolved the relegation issue. The following weekend it is back to European competition before Quins rise against Easter to face London Irish at The Stoop.

 

Come on you Quins!

 
This weeks fixtures: