By Caustic Sid
September 26 2003

The opening fixture of the new season pits London Wasps against our old adversaries Harlequins at the Stoop. In seasons past one would never know what to expect. A huge victory for either team or a scrappy dogfight. Recently, though, Quins have had the upper hand, despite our better league standing. Both sides tend to start their campaigns poorly. Absenteeism due to the forthcoming Rugby World Cup will hit London Wasps harder as Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, Josh Lewsey, Kenny Logan and Stuart Abbott travel downunder at the end of the month. Quins lose the services of Jason Leonard and Will Greenwood but they are no longer hamstrung by the loss of Keith Wood and Dan Luger, who have left the club.

In 1999 Wasps started inauspiciously up at Sale, going down 16-8. Back then the lack of Lawrence Dallaglio brought on a strange kind of torpor which we found difficult to shake off for weeks on end. Even though Scrivs was fit! The team that day was: Jon Ufton, Paul Sampson, Fraser Waters, Rob Henderson (63, Mark Denney), Josh Lewsey, Alex King, Martyn Wood, Andy Le Chevalier, Dugald Macer, Will Green (81, Elliot Webb), Mark Weedon, Simon Shaw, Eben Rollitt, Paul Volley, Peter Scrivener. Only three of them start again tomorrow -- a measure of how quickly the club game changes in the professional era.

London Wasps boss, Warren Gatland, and coach, Shaun Edwards, both want to put an end to Quins run of four league victories out of five. Gats thinks Quins will be a dark horse this season. He told Robert Kitson of the Guardian, "They've got a good scrum, a good line-out, although maybe they need to expand their game a little bit more. We're going to find them hard when we play them this weekend." Certainly Wasps had better guard against Ugo Monye far beetter than we did last May, when he took us to the cleaners on two occasions.

Edwards is relishing the challenge of defending the Zurich championship. So much so he wants to extend his stay at the club. He told Ben Hunt of the Financial Times, "I’d love another three years here. I know there’s been some interest in me from league in Australia and I regularly talk to Wayne Bennett (the Brisbane Broncos coach). It’s a little ambition of mine to be the first bloke to coach union and league some time down the track."

If Edwards "rest means rust" work ethic rubs off on the squad once more then players like Mark Denney, Mark Lock, Peter Scrivener and new-boy Ian Clarke will step up and perform while the World Cup offers them the opportunity. Rob Henderson showed what could be achieved in 2001, grabbing a Lions berth by adding another dimension to his game.

Quins' chief, Mark Evans is also looking forward to the challenge: "You can't not play for 11 weeks. It would have been a 6 month furlough between seasons. From a business perspective it would have been suicidal and from a playing perspective it would have been too long between seasons. I don't think the decision to play through the World Cup was a difficult one for Premier Rugby to make." he told the Zurich web site.

Tony Diprose outlined the influx of newcomers to Quins team: "We've had an Irish influx so I think Ben Willis and Simon Keogh will run well, both at scrum half. Both have looked very tidy in pre-season and both run the game well. After the loss of Nick Duncombe last year, which was a big blow for the club, we've obviously got a big hole to fill. It's going to be tough for those guys but they're certainly up for it."

All in all, RWC or not, it should be a tight game between old foes. And Dippy's words about the recently departed Nick Duncombe serve as a timely reminder to one and all. Seize the moment, quality will out. This will be uppermost in Simon Shaw's mind, and more-so than any other player, given his woeful, inexcusable omission from the England RWC party this week.

To continue celebrating ND's memory, another raffle is being held at the Stoop on Saturday. Please give generously and you will have the chance to win one of several, top prizes provided by some top geezers. Over to Barney:

Author: Barney Burnham, 12-09-03 12:01

The prize list for tomorrow's draw currently reads:

England away shirt, to be signed by Jason Leonard.
Quins training shirt, donated and signed by Jason Leonard.
England shorts, donated and signed by Jason Leonard (they're signed "Jason Leonard, 103 caps"). "Worldbeaters" video - last autumn's Twickenham matches against the Tri-Nations.
Jason Leonard's autobiography (to be signed by Jason).
2004 England Rugby Calendar.

The list could yet grow. I'm still working on somebody! ... Lawrence has just called me. He's going to give a signed shirt, signed shorts and something else as well - he's not sure just what, at the moment.

We'll be selling in the bars and around the ground. The draw will be in the main bar in the East Stand, at 5.15. We'll be selling in there right up to the draw itself. Tickets £1 each. Many thanks to Jason and Lawrence for their generous donations.

Teams:

Harlequins: 15 Gavin Duffy; 14 Simon Keogh, 13 George Harder, 12 Andy Reay, 11 Ugo Monye; 10 Paul Burke, 9 Ben Willis; 1 Mike Worsley, 2 Ace Tiatia, 3 Jon Dawson, 4 Bill Davison, 5 Simon Miall, 6 Pat Sanderson, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Tony Diprose

Bench: 16 Tani Fuga, 17 Ceri Jones, 18 Jim Evans, 19 Luke Sherriff, 20 Henry Barrett, 21 Andy Dunne, 22 Matt Moore

London Wasps: 15 Tom Voyce; 14 Shane Roiser, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Mark Denney, 11 John Rudd; 10 Mark Van Gisbergen, 9 Rob Howley (Capt.); 1 Craig Dowd, 2 Phil Greening, 3 Will Green, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 James Haskell, 7 Paul Volley, 8 Ian Clarke

16 Peter Richards, 17 Jonny O’Connor, 18 Ayoola Erinle, 19 Mark Lock, 20 Martin Purdy, 21 Tim Payne, 22 Trevor Leota

Live on Sky, K.O. 14:15

Related links: Guardian | FT | Zurich