Harlequins
Quins' Season So Far
By Nev's Left Boot
February 23 2011
As we head into the business end of the season, I though I might reflect back on the season as a whole so far. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster: we’ve had some really good times - Northampton away - and some real low points - Sale away. How do I feel we have fared this year?
Well let’s look back to the beginning of the year and consider the worries – most of us worried about our lack of experience and depth in the five – well Tomas Vallos has proved to be a decent find, a player who is able to provide more grunt and grit than his meagre (in the lock sense) frame should allow, plus his handling ability is fantastic and he has a decent turn of speed to provide a good link between backs and forwards. We have also had the emergence of Joe Marler, a lad who is an oxymoron in rugby terms. He seems to be half throw back to amateur days of team spirit and drinking coupled to the more modern prop who likes to run and side step. Plus he actually seems to enjoy the scrum.
Joining Marler in the front row has been James Johnstone and Joe Gray and together they have formed a decent front row partnership, which is still a little green, but hopefully we will see grow as a unit together over the next few season.
With Chris Brooker bringing his usual bustle to the pitch it’s been a pleasingly competitive time for the big forwards.
We still have a lack of depth in the front row. Ceri Jones is seemingly reaching the end of his days as a 20-game a season player, and as always we could do with a grizzled old pro or two to be back up when injuries and call-ups take their toll. However the first choice front five has a nice balance to it, and should kick on after a year of experience.
Add to this Tom Guest finally being given the opportunity to cement his place in the back row, and the continuing excellence of Robshaw and Easter, and our first choice pack has some quality. It won’t scare the big boys too often but it will cause people problems.
In the backs the emergence of Sam Smith, George Lowe continuing where he left off, Mike Brown currently experiencing probably the best form of his career and it appears a little rosier in the garden; without me even mentioning Nick Evans who has been at his consistent best all season. Danny Care has also emerged from the travails that England breaks imposed on him last year, and the competition with Youngs and Simpson seems to have re-energised him into the sharp, chippy SH we all love because he’s ours.
I still worry about the lack of experience in the backs when we lose Nev and DC but we’ll come to that later.
Another area for concern the previous season had been our defence, having had one of the best records the previous season 08-09 it had become a little bit porous in 09-10, with players jumping out of the line and not trusting their outside man, resulting in gaps and holes. One of the main culprits was a certain Mr. Strettle(!) This season has seen a marked improvement in the defensive efforts of the team overall, we seem tighter and able to defend our line without giving as many penalties away. Which brings me to my next point, last season when we weren’t jumping out of the line or falling asleep defensively, we were giving away stupid penalties and falling foul of the ref far too many times. This season, we started slowly with the ref but over the course of the season, seem to have got better in interpreting what the ref wants. Connor has stated that the club do a lot of work with a pro ref to establish why they get pinged and also where they get away with things. The upturn in performances since Christmas has, in my own opinion been in no small amount, due to the teams work in getting on the right side of the ref and making sure we stop the penalty count. I also think, once again, a change in personnel has helped here. Mr. Skinner, finding himself out of the staring XV has meant we appear to give less penalties away and since losing Guest and Easter and Skinner’s re-emergence, we have seen our penalty count go up with silly penalties at the break down. It’s also (in a positive way) the result of hard work by the team. In the early part of the season we seemed to jump in to rucks too eagerly, almost as if we were anxious to get the ball because we didn’t trust the defensive line. As the season has progressed we have developed much more patience in defence, ready to let the other team have the ball in confidence that tackles will be made and ground won’t be conceded.
It is safe to say that it has not been a bed of roses this season – despite all of the positives above, we have not stormed the premiership, we’re not standing at the summit looking down on all who are before us. But then I don’t believe any fan, even those with multi-coloured tints in their vision, would have expected that. Instead we have seen a team play with some vigour and some panache, give their all and in most games be very competitive.
This season is looking rosy at the moment but there is conversation among the masses (of Quins fans) that this position is one built on sandy ground (if you know your Christian metaphors). Let’s look at each competition and see where we truly stand.
AP – As of writing we stand fifth, a position I would gladly accept at the end of the season – a Heineken Cup place and a decent return on the efforts made by the players this year. The team in sixth is Bath; they have two games in hand, which will ultimately put us in 6th position, still not too shabby. However, with London Irish and Wasps sitting behind us and only a couple points off our position, silly losses such as the one away to Exeter could cost us sixth in the end.
Wasps run-in doesn’t look great with only two real bankers in games against Leeds and Sale. I still find it hard to forget the adage that Wasps are dangerous coming into the business end of the season. If they can find the right combinations in their starting XV and put a little run together they could take our 6th spot if we let them.
London Irish have been on a terrible run of form lately and to be honest look a little bereft; but with Leeds, Sale and Exeter to play, they could certainly find the grit and determination that has seen them through so many games in the past couple of season and their current position certainly seems to disguise the quality they have in their ranks.
Quins must stand up and be counted in all their AP games and try to make sure they take as many BP’s as they can in losing situations as well as make the most of winning ones. They do this and top six is a possibility; games against Newcastle and Leeds are must wins, along with a home win against Gloucester. Although depending on the form we could still be looking over our shoulders with games against Leicester and Saracens at home and Bath away which could make or break our season.
Amlin Cup – I think we have done splendidly in this competition however, with the big boys dropping down and the unkind draw I can’t see us going the whole way. I would like to think that we could beat Wasps at home and I don’t consider it entirely out of the realms of possibility of Munster coming unstuck in Brive. If this happens then Quins will travel to Brive and fancy their chances. Travelling to Thomond Park will be an entirely different matter. I think Wasps will be a very tough opposition in this fixture, it is their best hope of silverware and H/C qualification and their European record will make any team, even Munster, think twice. I hope home advantage will carry us over the line, but I fear we could come unstuck here.
LV – This is Quins best chance of guaranteed H/C action next year. The main benefit of winning this is that the club can start to budget for next season immediately after, rather than having to wait a further 3 months. That could be the difference between signing the players we want and not. We should be thinking that winning against Newcastle at home, on a Friday night is about as good a draw as we could have received and that we should fancy our chances against either Gloucester or Newport/Gwent in the final. Neutral venue and the chance to pick up a trophy sounds great, but if cast your eye over the premiership table at the moment Gloucester are slowly finding their way, creeping up the table and currently third with two games in hand. Quins will not find this game a walk in the park. However I hope that we can invoke the spirit of past Quins cup finals and match fire with fire and pull a proverbial rabbit out of the hat.
This brings me nicely on to my last point and the thought that prompted this review. Nick Evans – if you want a rugby conjurer than he is your man, the very fellow. Indeed he has form against Gloucester ripping them apart with two lovely pieces of play last year. What do we do with him? Do we rest him for London Irish and pray he is fit for Newcastle away? Do we play him against Irish and not against Newcastle away so that we know he’ll be alright for Newcastle at home? Anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu? I don’t wish to mention “the incident that should not be named” but if my memory serves we had a wonderful fly half, who had played nearly every game, picking up niggles as the season went on. When it came down to the business end of things he ended up hobbling off and back on again (illegally).
This is the problem at Quins, we only have one conjurer; it’s the difference between us and the successful teams. If it’s not Flood it’s Youngs or Tuilagi Snr or Jnr; if it’s not Britz, it’s Joubert, or Goode or Barritt; if it’s not Ashton, it’s Foden or Dickson or Tonga’huia. So maybe now is the time for Connor and the gang to gamble, maybe now is the time to assess the situation with cold heart and total determination, pick the tournament and make sure the magic man is ready and able, as well as bringing on another talent at the same time. Either that or Quins could find themselves again falling between not two but three stools as they fall at the semi stage in the Amlin, lose in a final in the LV and finish 7th in the league.
Admitedly this is the worst case scenario and one that sounds awful in so many ways, however at the start of the season I think a lot of us would have taken a cup semi, a cup final and 6th place in the league… so maybe it’s not all bad.
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Johnstone? Johnston
But otherwise a good read!
Nunquam Dormio
-I hope it wasn't me who put Mr Skinner out of it..
[-Not being picky or critical, just illuminating an obviously inadvertent giggle - well, it made me smile.]
PLayer budget may not be affected by the HC qualification, but the ability to sell the club on the back of it is....
The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit: and upon this charge,
Cry — God for Harry! England and Saint George
Premiership run in is very hard to predict. You'd expect to win away against leeds and falcons and win home against gloucester, but none can be taken for granted. an away win against bath looks very unlikely, but then again you never now. home to sarries and tigers could depend a lot of what team they put out, as they might consider resting players with play off places more or less guaranteed
Can't see us losing the LV semi - a likely final v glos could be a cracker, very hard to predict.
amlin I reckon we'll get knocked out in the semis, which might not be such a bad thing if we're still in with a shout of getting into the top four (though obviously I'd love us to go further)
Quote:Artemis
From an entirely non statistical POV. it appeared that last season we gave away alot of pens, particualry on the floor and we did not learn to adapt to the interpretatioh, this season we have been better. Then when Skinner has come back to the team as a starter we have notice the same pattern, in that we seem unable to change what we do. Not him per se, but that as a team we give more away.
So why do you feel we are infringing more when he is playing? What is he doing or not doing?
(just to add - not intending to pick fault, i am interested in what you think).
just for info Skinner has started 19 games and not started in 6 this season, and in one of the games he didn't start he came on after 12 Mins. Since xmas he has started 6 of the 9 games.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2011:02:24:14:02:24 by akb1.
Thanks for the article. I agree with much of what you say. Like others I find it hard to single out Skins - and I think Dickson has been a relevation standing in for Danny. Our back 10, including strength in depth, is a match for just about anybody.
Like you I would have settled for 6th in the table and would take that now if I could. The other two competitions are both Mickey Mouse, but I suppose provide a positive financial benefit. To me the Premiership is THE tournament this season. We should always put our best side out for the league games and take our chances in the others.
Dickson, Vallejos, Browne, Guest, Clegg, Casson, Williams... the list is happily a long one...
O Fortuna, velut luna statu variabilis,
semper crescis aut decrescis
![[:wor kid:]](/phorum-5.1.15/mods/smileys/images/13.gif "[:wor kid:]")
and I am being half serious
