By Prof
June 16 2006

The fifth report from the Quinssa AGM, in this report Mark Evans talks about the players, pre-season matches, STH barbecue, the Middlesex VIIs and double headers

On Players, Pre-Season Matches & the Middlesex VIIs

The players come back and start training on 26^th June.

There is a tournament in Issoire (in the middle of France) on the 6^th & 11^th  of August which will undoubtedly be a friendly and non-physical affair! Some of the guys will be coming back early to play in the Middlesex VIIs. We’ll be playing the Ospreys on Saturday 26^th August and then the Season Ticket Barbecue is on Sunday 27^th August.

I decided on the date of the STH Barbecue to purposefully annoy as many people as possible, it obviously wasn’t the only Sunday available to us before the season starts!

We are still looking to sign 1 or 2 more players, but we’ll only do it if we can find the players we want. This is Dean’s side of things but I am very happy with the signings so far.

 

Q: What do you think of the Middlesex VIIs being only for the Guinness Premiership clubs?

A: Wistfully I mourn the passing of the end of season piss up at Twickenham which was known as the Middlesex VIIs. We all went every year but to be honest it wasn’t much about the rugby – Eton Manor v Blackheath IIs wasn’t the greatest rugby event ever!

I’d like it to be less exclusive but I think the standard is well above what it used to be, whether it’s a better day out is another thing.

 

Q: Will we win the Middlesex VIIs this year?

A: We’ll give it a bash. If we can get our first choice VII out we will have a good stab at it. Perhaps we could give the RL side a call and see if Henry Paul fancies playing!

 

On Quins RL & the double header

Q: How do you think the rugby league side is going?

A: Operationally it’s going very well, both sides are working well together. I think from their point of view that they would say that things are better than they were at Griffin Park, there are about 500 more spectators per game than last season, I think they are getting an enhanced media profile and they have a better commercial income than ever before. But it will always be hard building a crowd a bit like rugby union in Leeds where it is the third sport behind football and rugby league where in five years they increased the gate from about 2,500 to about 4,500/5,000 but it was a real struggle. Rugby union is weak in Leeds but is very strong in the rest of Yorkshire. Growing a rugby league fan base in London shouldn’t be any harder than growing a rugby union one in Leeds.

From our point of view I don’t think it has harmed our image. When I came past and saw on the ‘next match’ sign ‘Quins v St Helens’ I thought of what the likes of Adrian Stoop and Wavell Wakefield would have thought, and I got a perverse sense of pleasure from it.

 

Q: Will there be another RU/RL double header?

A: I think it’s very unlikely. I’d be very disappointed if we couldn’t get enough people to fill the ground for a Quins game. I’d like to think, on balance, after a lot of stick from some quarters, that it was a good, fun day. It was profitable for both side and those who didn’t want to watch one game or the other didn’t have to, they could go to the bar.

Looking at the fixture list for next season and with us back in the Premiership and hopefully QuinsRL in the Super League I don’t think there’ll be an opportunity.