Hopes will once more be running high as Quins take on tenth placed Newcastle, whose Premiership season is effectively over tickets for this match have sold out and another full house is confidently expected, as Quins look to consolidate their Premiership position in the top four. This is how the Premiership looks today.

* Bristol deducted 1 point for fielding an ineligible player

Harlequin 28-15 win at Bristol last weekend coupled with the fact that Sale did not have a match last week due to the EDF semi finals, took them back to fourth in the Premiership giving plenty of reasons for the team, management and supporters to be optimistic for the rest of the season with a very good chance of having their best finish for a number of years. With five games to go for most teams there are still effectively seven teams fighting for the top four places. Serendipity shows that the four teams currently occupying the top four places are drawn together for the final round at the end of April with Bath playing Gloucester and Quins away at Leicester; however we must not get carried away as there are still four more games to play before we reach round 22. Last Sunday’s result was certainly an Easter gift for Quins, who had made a number of forced team changes through injury, as Richards said after the match "If you'd have asked me on Saturday if I'd be happy with five points I'd have said I'd be delighted," he said. "Full credit to the young boys again - they played very, very well. The beauty is that the youngsters are maturing with every game, and they're learning with every game as well." And this is where the confidence appears to be coming from.

Despite being a home match with a capacity home crowd, with very few Falcons traveling, Quins know that there is no room for complacency, and this has been highlighted on the message board this week by a number of postings three of which are reproduced here “Saturday will be a test because we are expecting a 5 point win, so pressure will be on the players” and “ Yes... It would be very easy to slip up on Saturday. There's something about the predictions of doom from Falcons that concerns a bit... 5 points should be the target, but ensuring the win comes first.” and

finally “ Both the next two matches (Newcastle home and Leeds away )have got banana skin written all over them. Hopefully Deano won't allow the squad to get ahead of itself.” This Saturday will provide another test for the team but a test that they should come through. Harlequins will be facing an opposition back line that could include Wilkinson, and the centre pairing of Flood and Tait , Noon is out injured The Falcons are wounded, especially after the surprise defeat at he hands of bottom placed Leeds last weekend. The team were stunned when Leeds scored a try from the kick off, and they never fully recovered. As one regular Falcons supporter wrote this week  “A bunch of 10 years with their shoelaces tied together could beat Newcastle at the minute!  Wilko bar his try was anonymous as were the other England backs, the forwards marginally better than against Brizzle - but it's just not clicking - this team on paper have talent - on the pitch it seems to go missing.
I don't want to detract from Leeds' win, or Bristol's, but we were so ***** we made them look good - neither game was quality rugby. Something is very wrong “ 

Whilst the loss Fletcher, their coach may have been due to their overall poor performance this season, the manner of his departure seems to have had a profound effect on the team and supporters alike. His departure appears to have acerbated the situation. Down in tenth place with just 28 points their Premiership season is over, but they have enough points to survive. With a European Challenge Cup quarter final home match against Castres next weekend, they have a chance to salvage something from their season. Harlequins are the in form team in the Guinness Premiership at the moment having picked up 23 league points from their last six matches. At The Stoop Quins have won their last three matches beating Worcester, and both the top two Premiership teams Gloucester and Bath, in consecutive matches. This weekend s opponents, Newcastle Falcons have slipped to four straight defeats in the Premiership, but have not lost five in a row in the competition since season 2002/03. Newcastle won 19-12 when the two sides met in the Premiership on 29 September, and the Falcons are in search of a first league double over Harlequins since season 1997/98, but they have not won at The Stoop for over five years. Quins need a win and a bonus point win to maintain their position. 

The outcome of a number of other matches scheduled this weekend, could help Harlequins in their quest, but those benefits will only be realised if they win. Two such matches stand out as fifth placed Sale at home to the leaders Bath, and a repeat of last weeks EDF semi final sees Wasps who have two games in hand travel to Leicester in a vital must win match for them. How many Quins will secretly be supporting the Tigers this weekend? With the way Gloucester have played in recent weeks the outcome of their match against Worcester could be difficult to call.

Despite my Saracens work colleague statement that their season is now over, they should see a change of fortune against Leeds. Irish are at home to Bristol who, judging by Richard Hill’s comments after their defeat last weekend, appear to have thrown in the towel. There are still seven teams chasing a top four/top six finish, so there is still everything to play for. The expectations are for a Quins win and a four try bonus point result at that, with a full house the crowd will get behind the unchanged team to carry them to victory. The only cloud on the horizon is the Evening Standard who after predicting defeats for Quins over the last five weeks have predicted a home win on Saturday.

To whet the appetite ahead of Saturday’s game, this is the run in for the teams currently placed 1 to 4. Gloucester and Leicester have a slight advantage with three home games.

Certainly, an exciting few weeks of rugby await :o) 

You’ve not seen nothing like the

Mighty Quins!

 The other matches this weekend

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