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Grenoble Challenge Cup SF


By Quins4life
April 19 2016

After poor, abject performances I hate doing these previews for the next game because I have to look back at them and get frustrated again. Once again Quins were left ruing a poor performance against a Saracens side that did not even have to get out of second gear. We looked clueless at times, without an obvious plan to make the game difficult for Saracens. We seemingly adopted a poor kicking strategy which only involved booting the ball hopefully down field and letting the Saracens back three and a waiting Vunipola run the ball back at us. We barely moved the ball past Care and Botica meaning our closest thing to a world class player in Jamie Roberts barely had any involvement in attack, whilst our wingers looked isolated.

This team has so much potential across the field but it is playing well below par right now and seems a shadow of the one which impressed so much earlier this season. The scrums, which dominated the Saracens one, and the world class performance of Robshaw were the only real positives I could see from the game. After Sale won on Sunday, we now sit seventh in league and unlikely to even finish in the top 6, with the game in hand that Sale possess, let alone the top 4. This means it is all or nothing now in our European clash on Friday night. 

So after a last minute drop goal in their Quarter Final against Connacht, Grenoble won the rights to play us in the semi finals. Whilst it would be certainly very wrong to disrespect and write off Grenoble, I am incredibly relieved we do not have to travel to Ireland and face Connacht in the semis, who looked fantastic in their victory against Munster last weekend. Well we have luckily gained an advantage of playing at the Stoop and we have to take it. 

So how have Grenoble been going this season. Well, they qualified top of their pool, which London Irish too came out of, after winning 5 out of the 6 pool matches, with their only loss coming away at Edinburgh. In the Top 14, they are currently sitting 10th with an outside chance of reaching the playoffs but seemingly they have moved their priorities to the Challenge Cup and winning it in order to qualify for the Champions Cup next season. This is shown by them choosing to rotate a few of their players in their clash against Castres last weekend, which meant they ultimately lost the game, albeit only by 5 points. 

After listening to Oshea talk about Grenoble last weekend, they are not your normal French side as they play an open running style of rugby similar to our own, which actually meant one of their coaches visited our training base last year to get some tips and advice. That could have been a silly move. But also I have noticed from looking at their sides picked in recent weeks, they do not really seem to have many big name foreign players in their squad like the other French clubs. The only one which really catches the eye is ex-Stormers and Springbok international Gio Aplon who plays at fullback for them. Also their right winger, TIno Nemani is a very useful player who puts in huge hits but is prone to the odd moment of ill-discipline after being banned for 4 matches earlier this season due to verbally abusing a referee. But the players to watch out for is their flyhalf, Jonathan Wisniewski, who is a fantastic goalkicker and also knows how to scores tries so we are going to have to watch him very carefully and make sure we don’t give away too many kickable penalties. George ¨the penalty magnet¨ Merrick I am directing that at you mate. In the pack, I do not recognize many of their players, apart from Sona Taumalolo who used to play the NZ side Chiefs and Perpignan. They also do have an ex-Quin in their ranks in the form of James Percival, but he hasn’t really been used too much so I do not expect him to start, or even be involved at all. 

Team Selection 
This is a very tricky decision as we are clearly in need of a boost from somewhere as the performance last weekend was not good enough. We need this boost as well as some quality experience to come in as this is going to be a tough, tense match and we should have it if you are to believe to Offy. According to the official site, we are due to welcome back a number of players back from injury including Marler, Horwill, Wallace, Evans and Lowe but I guess there is some debate around who comes straight back in. In the front row, Marler definitely returns to partner Gray (if they continue with him, even though I would prefer Ward or Buchanan) and probably Jones due to his experience. It’s tough on Collier or Sinckler who have been in fine form, but one of them will miss out and I expect Collier will be one to as Sinckler is good for an impact. In the second row, Horwill definitely returns too as I think the three young second rows are struggling for form right now. I would pick Twomey as his partner in hope that they can recapture the form of their partnership from the start of the season. In the backrow, Robshaw is nailed on at 6 but 7 and 8 is a tricky choice. For his experience, Easter will probably start at 8 and then I would go for Wallace at 7 due to his form this season. Clifford has been slightly disappointing for the high standards he has set for himself since he has returned from England duties. Hopefully this can be a small kick up the backside he needs. I would have Luamanu on the bench with Clifford too, with Easter covering second row. 

Captain Care will start at 9 but we have a dilemma at 10 with Evans returning. Before last weekend I would have said Botica probably deserves to stay there until Evans has had a few minutes off the bench and proves his fitness. But now I think we need Evans back in to try and reignite that backline which was so potent earlier in the season. Tough on Botica but Evans is a club legend because he pulls us through games like this so Evans is right back into it. Yarde will start on one wing but after Visser went off last weekend, I am hoping he is fit. If he isn’t, I would like to see Walker (if fit too) start ahead of Chisholm because he has earned the right to be pushing the starters with the number of tries he has scored this season. Lowe will definitely return to partner Roberts, which is no shame on Marchant, who played well last weekend especially in defence and showed glimpses of his exciting attacking play. Brown will start at fullback even if he is seriously out of form but I have faith that Brown will bounce back from this slump and show why he is one of the best 15s in the world, let alone England, when he is at his best. 

My team to face Grenoble; Marler, Ward, Jones, Twomey, Horwill, Robshaw, Wallace, Easter; Care (C), Evans, Visser (Walker), Roberts, Lowe, Yarde, Brown. 

I have been saying this for a while now, but it is now getting silly and about time we see a response from this side. I am slightly swaying to the idea that the midseason announcement of the departure of Oshea has had a bigger effect than I initially thought it did. But as I have read on this site this Friday night the players will have nearly 15,000 people behind them and they need to show what it means to wear the jersey. They have no excuses. Last weekend I felt that was missing last week and Saracens looked a lot more committed to the cause, which seriously upset me as that is the minimum I expect as a loyal, long-term supporter of this club. A minimum for this club is to qualify for the elite European competition and this now is seemingly our best chance to do so. Not qualifying for it two years in a row would be seriously poor considering the players we have. 
I expect this game to be a very nervy affair with very few points in it due to Grenoble also being in a similar position to us with this competition being their only chance of qualifying for top level European rugby next season. Also the fact that we are not playing well enough to absolutely blow away our opposition doesn’t help, even though we do have the players to do so. The performance of the scrum last weekend was pleasing as it dominated a good Sarries one and if we can gain parity against a big French club pack then we have a good chance of a positive outcome. I hope to see us play more expansively on Friday night (if the weather is good), using Roberts in the correct way to create space out wide. But the end of the day, semifinals are all about not losing the game so I will take whatever performance as long it results in a final in Lyon next month. I expect we will just have enough to scrape through in the end, but in no way am I expecting a nice easy victory. We are going to do it the only way we know how, the hard way. 

My prediction; Quins 26 Grenoble 22

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Grenoble Challenge Cup SF
Discussion started by ComeAllWithin.co.uk , 19/04/2016 13:12
ComeAllWithin.co.uk
19/04/2016 13:12
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
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Closer & Closer
19/04/2016 13:58
Good review and it restates a lot of the stuff on the site.

If we can summon up and extend for 80 minutes the first half performances we have shown we should be ok.

This really is our last chance to save the season....lets hope the boys make s proud on Friday.

COYQ!!

Cookie
19/04/2016 14:25
Gobsmacked that the bookies have us 12 point favourites!

Bolly-Quin
19/04/2016 14:27
I dont know what Lambert has done to miss out - our front 5 v Sarries played well in the scrum. Just dont kick to touch! I'd start with Lambert and bring Marler on as an impact sub exactly 25mins before the end

Monte
19/04/2016 20:14
Thanks for doing preview certainly not going to be easy. COS has already said at his press conference after Sarries match that NEV will be on the bench!

seequin
19/04/2016 20:30
Forecast at the moment is cold and wet

DOK.
19/04/2016 21:24
Quote:
seequin
Forecast at the moment is cold and wet

but enough about Owen Farrell!

SiBolton
20/04/2016 08:44
Looking at the offy there are plenty of seats left, so looking like not many interested or staying away because it's on BT

blucherquin
20/04/2016 08:49
Quote:
SiBolton
Looking at the offy there are plenty of seats left, so looking like not many interested or staying away because it's on BT

Friday night, it's hard for kids and people getting there post work and then getting home - means I have somewhere to put my coat, but a shame it won't be full...still we can make a lot of noise.

I know lots of people don't like Friday night games and I totally get it, but I live a short walk from the Stoop and love a bit of beer and Friday Night Lights

talkshowhost86
20/04/2016 14:58
I can understand people stayuing away for the quarter final as it looked like an easy game against a team we play twice a year anyway.

But this is a semi-final in a cup we have good history in, against a team we rarely (if ever?) play against.

In a half-season of lows, the Challenge Cup represents our best chance of ending on a high, so it will be a real shame if people aren't there.

Yes yes it's a Friday night but come on...the kids can sleep in on Saturday and I'm sure the trains will work this time (ahem).

COYQ!

JJQuin
20/04/2016 15:21
Would have gone but have a life outside Rugby so a prior long standing engagement - gutted but not missing out on a last chance to see one of my favourite bands. Now if it had been at a sensible time like a Saturday afternoon...

talkshowhost86
20/04/2016 16:17
Quote:
JJQuin
Would have gone but have a life outside Rugby so a prior long standing engagement - gutted but not missing out on a last chance to see one of my favourite bands. Now if it had been at a sensible time like a Saturday afternoon...

Well I hope One Direction are worth it winking smiley

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