Like many others I firmly believe that Leicester are this season Premiership champions, with Harlequins as runners up. Saturday’s matches are just an encore to what has been a fantastic season for Harlequins, their best season ever in the professional age, a season which has gone a long way to repaying some of my investment over the past fifteen years. Quins have enjoyed a large number of sell outs at The Stoop this season, had a great run in the Heineken Cup, with two special games against Stade Francais, and an epic battle against Leinster in the quarter final in a match that they lost rather than Leinster won. The top of the Premiership has been tight all season, with all of the final placed top six sides all spending some part of the season at the top of the table, a position that Tigers managed to secure in the end after the spoils could have gone in any of six directions up to the last couple of weeks.  Let us enjoy the final table once more.

The Final Table 2008-2009

Harlequins preparations for this weekend’s match were boosted earlier this week with a double of Guinness premiership Awards,  beating of the competition from London Irish when Chris Robshaw won the Premiership Player of  the Season, and Jordan Turner-Hall collected the Young Player of the year award. Not to be totally outshone by his players Dean Richards was the runner up in the Head Coach category, as the top three coaches mirrored their teams final placing in the table.  

Third placed London Irish have been this seasons surprise package, suddenly learning after all these years that bonus points do count, as they went on to get at least one point from all their Premiership games this season, and although this is a worthy  achievement  they remain the “not nots”  not first, not second,  but third. Played 22 won 12 drawn 1 and lost 9. London Irish have been the only team that have defeated Harlequins at The Stoop this season, back on September 30^th when they were gifted victory by a Harlequins team who had raced away to a commanding first half lead, thinking they could defend it throughout the second half. Harlequins lost 27-28 - just one point on a day when the home side learnt a hard lesson which will not be repeated this weekend. Quins did win the return match in Reading back in March in another tight game to even the score.

Statistically comparing Harlequins and London Irish this season, first and foremost Harlequins finished above London Irish

Whist London Irish have scored 59 Premiership Tries this season and Harlequins have scored slightly less with 55, Harlequins have scored 36 tries at home with Irish managing just 20 away from home. Looking at Tries conceded both teams are tied on 34 tries but Quins pick up the honours with 13 tries conceded at Home with Irish leaking 18 tries away from home. Ugo Monye ran in nine tries to be join second with Cueto in the leading try scorers and looking at overall points scored Irish have fared better with Hewat accruing 144 points against 130 of Nick Evans. In discipline has cost Quins this season, and they picked up a total of 10 cards, whilst Irish went one better with 11.

The semi final playoffs promise some thrilling matches with a potential thriller at Twickenham next week end.,

When Leicester Tigers roared past Bristol on the final day of the season scoring record eleven tries to set themselves as favourites for the Play off title, but their season goes on and on after an amazing Penalty shootout in Cardiff last weekend they have the Heineken Cup Final in their diary as well as the possibility of another final at Twickenham, however they need to overcome Bath yet again at the Walkers Stadium. The Rugby Paper reported that Harlequins looked particularly menacing in their 31-12 defeat of Newcastle, clinically amassing four tries in under 30 minute of the first half. As we know Harlequins face London Irish in yet another sell out match which has the promise of another classic. Dean Richards insists they can overturn the two defeats by London Irish at the Stoop (GP and EDF) this season. Ironically it has only been Irish sides that have beaten Quins at home this season Richards said “It will be a very interesting semi final, a local derby and they will try to match us. They have a pretty exciting side which plays a similar game to Quins.” He added “we have a far greater resolve in the side now. The style of play we have and he ambition we play with is something most other sides just don t have.” In contrast London Irish away at Worcester had a torrid first half finding themselves all square at 10 -10 at half time against a very young team who had their eye on a European cup final place, but after the break it was one way traffic as Irish turned up the gas, a style they seem to have used on a number of occasions this season.

Will Skinner said earlier this week that Harlequins have some scores to settle in Saturday’s play off. He added that Quins need to reproduce he form that saw them through at home against Newcastle and away at Bath, “London Irish like to play a similar style to Quins. We are confident and they will be too. They have got a few danger men we need to keep under control and, if we can keep them out of the game, I am sure we will stay on top”.  Skinner also said that his first season as captain had been made easy for him by the rest of the squad, “throughout the whole squad, I can turn to guys to help with my leadership on and off the pitch.”  

Another tough game lies ahead for Harlequins, but they will not have come so far only to fall at the last hurdle. There is no doubt that this will be a grudge match, but let us hope it will provide an exciting spectacle for the sell out crowd. The two week break will have done the team a lot of good giving a chance to rest aching limbs and weary muscles, and allow for injuries to heal. Quins fans will be hoping that Richards has a difficult choice for his starting XV, with no worries about injuries and it is expected that Nick Evans will be fit for this match as well as Ugo Monye.

This has been a very exciting season for Harlequins fans and it should prolong itself for another week as the Rugby Paper’s headline proclaimed two weeks ago  Yes these Quins truly are mighty!.

Come on you Quins!

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