Banish the defeat of Sunday afternoon and focus on a finishing the season strongly with a home playoff tie. This is the second meeting of the two clubs in four weeks, with Quin triumphant with their 38 -20 win at The Stoop.

Last Sunday’s match was a very physical affair, the closeness of the score reinforcing the tightness of a game where the Leinster defence shaved a win for the visitors. It was a match that took its’ toll with Quins losing both their fly halves, through injury and subsequently Mike Brown at full back, as well as many tired and aching limbs. It was a great display by the home side who were unable to fully unlock the Irish defence and will have rued the loss of being unable to convert fourteen kickable points. It was a match that Quins lost rather than Leinster won. As Dean Richards said after the match “It is never easy to come this far and lose by one point, but you have to accept that’s life and move on. There are no regrets. We have done so many good things this season and have been good value for money.”

Whilst Sale had a break last weekend, Quins maintained their continuity of play and will be focused on this evening’s game.  The Premiership Table, provided below, continues to show just how tight it is at the top. Quins have to focus on two more wins, as they cannot relax and rely on the other teams in the pack to slow done in their chase for a prize finish. The Heineken Quarter Final results last weekend suggest that the current top six will all be in next year’s competition, but the current focus is on the Premiership Crown. 

It is still very tight at the top, with two points separating the top three clubs, with the next three still in striking distance. For Quins it is about maintaining their momentum after excellent wins against Worcester and Bath.  A top two finish is in their hands. They done the hard work to get into this position, they just have to maintain it With 13 wins under their belt they are in a strong position, but as we have seen to our cost on more than one occasion this season, you cannot trust the Irish to slip up, although they will find it tough at Northampton. London Irish and Bath have just 11 wins, and Gloucester who now play Worcester on Tuesday night.

Mathematically any of the current top six can still finish top, although it is almost impossible for Sale  as they will require two five point wins, and all the clubs ahead of them losing their remaining matches and also they ll need to improve their points difference by over 100 points. Leicester are likely to finish top, based on their current performance and number of wins. Sale will however be out to finish their season strongly. Since Christmas their league position has slipped from the top, and they will be looking to redress that fall. When Sharks named their team for this match, (listed below) it included, Sebastien Chabal who returns after missing the last six games through injury and international duty, the Sharks team sheet is strong, but beatable. Director of Rugby Kingsley Jones said, "This is a game we have to win to give us any chance at all of finishing in the top four. We have two games to go, both at home and we will be going out to try and finish the regular season on a high. Harlequins were unlucky not to win last weekend in the Heineken Cup against Leinster and I am sure they will travel north looking to bounce back from that defeat.

Dean Richards team selection has obviously been affected by injuries but it is a measure of how far Quins have come in recent years with the strength in depth of the squad. The fly half injury crisis will not blow Harlequins off course insists Richards, who has faith in Fijian Waisea Luveniyali. “Waisea is a fantastic player and in many respects is our best attacking fly half in terms of bringing players into the game. Tonight will be his second Premiership start for Quins. Richards has shuffled the team to give some players a rest allowing Care, Turner Hall and Fuga to provide impact from the bench.  This will be a different starting lineup that started against Sale at the end of March.

Quoted in the Richmond and Twickenham Times today, Harlequins skipper Will Skinner insists his men have worked too hard over the last three seasons to let one Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat de-rail their Premiership title hopes this season. “Unfortunately we were on the losing end, but we must learn from it, draw a line under it and take that into the next game,” he said. “This focuses the mind more than anything. We’ve still got a massive job to do in the Guinness Premiership. We have got a huge opportunity to prove to everyone we are a great team. “The guys are mature enough to bounce back from this, put in a big performance against Sale and to win this competition. “We’ve worked so hard this year for it and over the last three seasons. Unfortunately we are out of this cup, but we have to remember we are still in contention to win the Premiership.”

It is apt to finish on another of Dean Richard’s quotes after last week’s match “We tried our hardest, but have something else in our rugby lives and that is our next game.”  There is still a lot to play for in the next week.

Come on you Quins!

Other fixtures:

Harlequins:
Ceri Jones, Gary Botha, Mike Ross, James Percival, George Robson, Chris Robshaw, Will Skinner (c), Nick Easter, Andy Gomarsall, Waisea Luveniyali, Ugo Monye, De Wet Barry, Gonzalo Tiesi, David Strettle, Tom Williams
Replacements: Tani Fuga, Mark Lambert, Jim Evans, Tom Guest, Danny Care, Seb Stegmann, Jordan Turner-Hall 

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